Hough Family Faculty Fellow and Professor
B.A. – University of Maryland
Ph.D. – University of Pennsylvania
Kirby Hall 209
336.758.4916
whaples@wfu.edu
Research Interests: American Economic History, Consensus Among Economists, and Political Economy
See also WFU Expert File Listing
Robert Whaples graduated from the University of Maryland in 1983 with BA’s in economics and history and earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. His research deals primarily with the history of American labor markets and consensus among economists.
He is editor of The Independent Review and book review editor for EH.Net (economic history). He is the co-editor of three recent books, The Handbook of Modern Economic History (2012), The Handbook of Major Events in Economic History (2013), and The Economic Crisis in Retrospect: Explanations by Great Economists. His research has been published in the Journal of Economic History, Southern Economic Journal, Economic Inquiry, Contemporary Economic Policy, and other journals.
He regularly teaches Introduction to Economics, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, and the Economics of Entrepreneurship. He is the coach of the Wake Forest Quiz Bowl Team. He and his wife, Regina, are the proud parents of five – three of whom are Wake Forest graduates.
Courses
Econ 150: Introduction to Economics
Econ 241: Natural Resource and Environmental Economics
Econ 266: Economics of Entrepreneurship
Econ 270: Current Economic Issues
Featured Publications
- Future Economic Peril or Prosperity
- The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History
- Routledge Handbook of Major Events in Economic History
- The Economic Crisis in Retrospect Explanations by Great Economists
- Were Andrew Jackson’s Policies “Good for the Economy”?
- Skeptical Thoughts on a Taxpayer-Funded Basic Income Guarantee