Christopher Westley, Ph.D.
Expert in regional economic trends | Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, FL, UNITED STATES
Dr. Westley studies and researches the economics of the free society.
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Biography
Dr. Christopher Westley is dean of the Lutgert College of Business and professor of economics at Florida Gulf Coast University. A prolific writer, his scholarly articles have appeared in Economics and Politics, Constitutional Political Economy, the Eastern Economics Journal, the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, and the International Journal of Social Economics. In addition, Westley has published more than 100 economics columns, including some that have appeared in Investor’s Business Daily, the Christian Science Monitor, several Florida newspapers, as well as business and public policy journals throughout the United States.
Areas of Expertise (5)
Political Economy
Economics
Public Economics
Finance
Austrian Economics
Accomplishments (1)
Industry Diversification Project (professional)
2016-03-01
Established by Dr. Westley, this project tracks the Industry Diversification Index that measures how diversified economies are by Florida MSA, workforce region and every U.S. state. The index ranks Florida and Southwest Florida against other regions based on business diversity.
Education (3)
Auburn University: Ph.D., Economics 2000
St. Mary’s University: M.A., Economics 1993
University of Florida, Gainesville: B.S., Public Relations 1987
Affiliations (16)
- Mises Institute : Associated Scholar
- Acton Institute : Adjunct Scholar
- Education Facilities Authority (Lee County) : Board Member
- Southwest Florida Economic Development Alliance : Board Member
- Village of Estero Economic Development Partnership : Member
- Florida Council of Business Economists : Member
- Southwest Florida Community Foundation : FutureMaker
- Comprehensive Economic Development Committee : Member
- Opportunity Naples Steering Committee : Member
- Regional Economic Indicators : Editor and Publisher
- Lee County Business Climate Survey : Editor and Publisher
- Industry Diversification Report : Editor and Publisher
- Workforce Now Report : Editor and Publisher
- Economic Almanac of Southwest Florida : Editor and Publisher
- Immokalee Economic Overview : Editor and Publisher
- Top 100 Employers of Southwest Florida : Editor and Publisher
Links (4)
Selected Media Appearances (27)
FGCU Business School dean says there's 'reason to think economy will sour in 2023'
Business Observer online
2023-01-06
Christopher Westley shares his economic outlook for 2023.
Supply chain major prepares FGCU graduates for the real world
Spotlight Magazine online
2022-04-01
Christopher Westley discusses FGCU's undergraduate major in supply chain management.
Students and staff adjusting to new Covid-19 protocols this semester at FGCU
Fox 4 tv
2021-08-25
Christopher Westley discusses the pandemic's impact of Florida Gulf Coast University.
In the Know: 'Gangbusters' economy fueling jobs at a time when unemployment normally goes up
Naples Daily News print
2021-08-20
Christopher Westley discusses the economy in Southwest Florida.
Unemployment rates fell across Southwest Florida as 2020 came to an end
Naples Daily News print
2021-06-25
Christopher Westley discusses the strength of the Southwest Florida economy compared with the rest of the state.
FGCU announces initiative to help local businesses get back on their feet
ABC7 tv
2020-05-19
Christopher Westley announces the RESTART SWFL initiative to help local businesses recover from COVID-19.
FGCU announces Economic Recovery Initiative for businesses
NBC2 tv
2020-05-19
Christopher Westley announces the RESTART SWFL initiative to help local businesses recover from COVID-19.
FGCU announces 'Restart SWFL' initiative to assist local businesses with pandemic recovery
Naples Daily News print
2020-05-19
Christopher Westley announces the RESTART SWFL initiative to help local businesses recover from COVID-19.
New FGCU program hopes to reassure the public that it's safe to go out and shop
Fox 4 tv
2020-05-19
Christopher Westley announces the RESTART SWFL initiative to help local businesses recover from COVID-19.
Economists predict Florida's unemployment rate is in the double digits
NBC2 tv
2020-04-17
Christopher Westley talks about unemployment numbers in Florida during COVID-19.
New study shows just how devastating COVID-19 has been to the SWFL economy
Fox 4
2020-03-30
Christopher Westley talks about his recent survey of nearly 1,000 businesses in Southwest Florida.
Southwest Florida's economy taking a big blow from coronavirus, according to economic impact survey
Naples Daily News print
2020-03-30
Christopher Westley talks about his recent survey of nearly 1,000 businesses in Southwest Florida.
Coronavirus is deadly for small businesses, according to FGCU study
NBC2 tv
2020-03-30
Christopher Westley talks about his recent survey of nearly 1,000 businesses in Southwest Florida.
A very Naples story at FGCU
Life in Naples magazine print
2020-03-11
Chris Westley talks about his life growing up in Naples and his rise to the deanship at Lutgert College of Business.
New area business college dean creates long list
Business Observer print
2020-01-31
Christopher Westley is named dean of the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Going down: Southwest Florida's unemployment rates back on the decline
Naples Daily News print
2019-10-21
Christopher Westley discusses the economy as it relates to Southwest Florida.
Jobless rate in Southwest Florida ticked up in August but remained under 4%
Naples Daily News print
2019-09-20
Christopher Westley discusses the economy as it relates to Southwest Florida.
Survey says: Hiring expected to remain strong in Lee County for rest of 2019
The News-Press print
2019-09-10
Christopher Westley talks about jobs and Southwest Florida's diversified economy.
Inside Florida's gig economy
Florida Weekly print
2019-08-29
Christopher Westley talks about jobs and Southwest Florida's diversified economy.
Bill Could Give Uber Drivers Employee Status — At What Cost?
The Epoch Times online
2019-07-30
Christopher Westley discusses the impact regulations can have on the workforce.
Jobless rates crept up in June, but remain low across Southwest Florida
Naples Daily News print
2019-07-22
Christopher Westley discusses the economy as it relates to Southwest Florida.
Survey says: Lee County businesses still pessimistic about region's economy
Naples Daily News print
2019-06-09
Christopher Westley discusses the economy as it relates to Southwest Florida.
Governor DeSantis signs Toll Road bill; environmentalists argue impact on wildlife
Fox 4 tv
2019-05-19
Christopher Westley talks about the economic impact of a toll road on Florida.
Jobs market strong overall in SWFL, but Irma wallops Collier jobs
Naples Daily News
2018-03-12
Lee and Collier counties had the lowest unemployment rate (3.9 percent), followed by Charlotte County (4.5 percent), Glades County (4.6 percent) and Hendry County (5.6 percent). While the overall unemployment rates are “historically very low,” said Christopher Westley, director of the Regional Economic Research Institute at FGCU, the headline is in the jobs decline in Collier. He cautioned, though, that it’s too soon to read too much into it.
Coffee and guns: Southwest Florida's appetite for both
The New-Press
2018-02-26
“Our country is a gun-loving country and you can see it down here,” said Christopher Westley, director of the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University. “In our economy, there is a tremendous demand for both and that’s reflected in the market.”...
Labor market report shows growing shortage of workers in health care, retail
Naples Daily News
2018-02-23
"The ranking industries have not changed. The big change has been the economy has come out of recession, the employment numbers have gone to record levels and, of course, construction workers are returning to that industry and I expect that to continue until the end of the expansion," said Christopher Westley, an economics professor and director of the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University...
Business owners bullish on SWFL economy, survey finds
Naples Herald
2018-02-13
“It was the second-highest measure ever recorded for this survey since its inception in 2012,” said Christopher Westley, the director of FGCU’s Regional Economic Research Institute. “The largest measure, a 74, was recorded in 2014, a year when Lee County experienced GDP growth of 5.7 percent.”...
Selected Event Appearances (8)
The Financial Determinants of NCAA Football Championship Series Power Ratings
Eastern Finance Association Annual Meetings New Orleans, Louisiana
2015-04-08
The Leno Effect: Toward a Political Economy of ‘Tonight Show’ Monologues
Western Economics Association Meetings Honolulu
2015-06-28
Luck, Human Agency, and Micro Institutions in Colonial Brazil
Asia-Pacific Economic and Business History Conference Seoul, South Korea
2013-02-14
Operating Strategies and Economic Factors in the Airline Industry: The Southwest Effect Extended
Southeast Decision Science Institute Meetings Savannah, Georgia
2011-02-23
Who Wins? The Role of Economic Freedom on Olympic Performance
Association for Private Enterprise Education Meetings Las Vegas, Nevada
2010-04-11
Corporations as Counterweights: The Role of Transnational Firms as Checks on State Power in the 21st Century
Public Choice Society Meetings Monterey, California
2010-03-11
Why Productivity Matters: A Panel Study of Airline Profitability Before and After 9/11
Academic Business World Conference Nashville, Tennessee
2008-05-26
Medical Malpractice Reform Policy: Why Economic Efficiency Matters
International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines Orlando, Florida
2008-01-03
Selected Articles (3)
Degredados, Their Human Agency, and Micro Institutions in Colonial Brazil: An Institutionalist Reinterpretation
Journal of Economic IssuesChristopher Westley and Fernando Zanella
2015 Institutions are widely recognized as determinants of economic development. However, institutional economists often overlook pertinent historical incidents in their search for broad patterns. At times, this search oversimplifies truly complex phenomena. In light of this, we apply a micro-institutional analysis to explain the success of colonial Brazil’s early settlements as a mix of accident and design. By doing so, we stress the limitations that can result when applying an aggregate institutional interpretation of economic history and development. We also apply the principal-agent model and its main feature — risk-sharing — to an extreme case that involves settlers and natives risking their lives, while Portuguese principals sought to reduce transaction costs in an important and resource-rich colony.
Ngrams and the Austrian School
Quarterly Journal of Austrian EconomicsChristopher Westley
2014 The Google Ngram Viewer is used to highlight some of the ideas, nomenclature, individuals, and events that have come to comprise the Austrian tradition. Key terms and literature are also examined primarily using the English corpus, with occasional examinations using German and French corpus as well. The Ngram counts of these terms provide a useful way to gauge the success of Austrians, over time, to influence the state of economics and the popular debate.
An institutional analysis of voter turnout: the role of primary type and the expressive and instrumental voting hypotheses
Constitutional Political EconomyPeter T. Calcagno and Christopher Westley
2008 Recent events highlight primary type as an institutional variable that merits further examination in the economics literature on voter turnout. Using panel data for U.S. gubernatorial elections and treating primary type as a proxy for candidate deviation from the median voter, we test whether primary type changes voter turnout and whether that change is dominated by instrumental or expressive voting. The results show that states with more open primaries tend to have greater voter turnout in general elections, and that this increase reflects the effect of open primaries on expressive voting.
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