Katie Baird, Ph.D.

I've been teaching at UW Tacoma since receiving my Ph.D. in economics from the University of Massachusetts in 2000. My particular area of expertise is in the fields of public economics and applied microeconomics.
Prior to graduate school, I spent three years working in West Africa as an agricultural extension officer and another two evaluating agricultural policy in a number of African countries at the behest of multi-national organizations. I also spent several years working for the federal government in Washington, D.C. primarily writing environmental regulations for the EPA.

Classes

Most of the courses I teach apply economic theory to issues of public policy. I strive to illustrate the importance and relevance of economic reasoning to current events, while also making economic theory and intuition accessible to students. I also teach some more theory-based courses, but prioritize the application and relevance of economic theory to everyday life.
Courses I teach include TECON 100 Understanding Economics, TECON 421 Environmental Policy, TECON 420 Economics of Education, TECON 416 Current Issues in US Public Policy, TECON 201 Macroeconomics, TECON 440 Global Economic Challenges, TPOLS 425 Comparative Social Policy and TECON 410 Economics of Public Policy.

Recent Publications and Current Research

My current research interest is in education policy, and I am especially interested in how it relates to equity and social mobility.

Forthcoming book

Trapped in Mediocrity: Why Our Schools Aren't World-Class and What We Can Do About It, Lanham, Md: Roman & Littlefield (2012).

Recent papers

• Katherine Baird (2011). "Class in the Classroom: The Relationship Between School Resources and Math Performance Among Low Socioeconomic Status Students in 19 Rich Countries", Education Economics.
• Katherine Baird (2010) "Assessing Student Learning of Math in High School: How Useful Are Student Test Scores?", Educational Policy.
• Katherine Baird, Rodolfo Elías, Víctor Vázquez, Nestor Peralta, and Mirna Vera (Feb 2009). "The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean Latin American Research Network: The Quality of Education in Paraguay." Report prepared for the Interamerican Development Bank.
• Katherine Baird (Winter 2008). "Federal Direct Expenditures and School Funding Disparities, 1990-2000", Journal of Education Finance.
• Katherine Baird (2007). "Access to College: The role of tuition, financial aid, scholastic preparation and college supply in US public college enrollments". Journal of Student Financial Aid, 36(3): 16-38.
• Katherine Baird (2006). "Do Prepaid Tuition Programs Affect State Support for Higher Education?" Journal of Education Finance, 31(3): 255-275.