Rate My Professor Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne is a Professor of Economics in the Brenneman School of Business at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Montana in 1996 and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois in 2003. Byrne joined Washburn University as an Assistant Professor of Economics in 2003 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2008, advancing to his current position as Professor. His long tenure at the institution reflects his commitment to teaching and research in economics within the School of Business.

Byrne's research specializations include economic development incentives, tax increment financing, public policy, public finance, and local government. His publications address key issues in these areas, such as "Economic Development Incentives, Reported Job Creation, and Local Employment" (2018), which analyzes the effects of incentives on job creation; "Does Tax Increment Financing Deliver on Its Promise of Jobs? The Impact of Tax Increment Financing on Municipal Employment Growth" (2010); "Have Post-Kelo Restrictions on Eminent Domain Influenced State Economic Development?" (2016); "Exploring the effects of state differences in alcohol retail restrictions" (2017); "Do Workers Profit from the Nonprofit Tax Exemption? The Impact of State Tax Exemption on the Nonprofit Wage Differential of Hospital Workers" (2013); "Strategic interaction and the adoption of tax increment financing" (2005); and "Determinants of Property Value Growth for Tax Increment Financing Districts" (2002). These works have contributed to discussions on fiscal policy impacts, with over 380 citations on Google Scholar. Byrne has earned the Certificate of Teaching and Learning and the Certificate of Inclusive Teaching and Learning for the 2023-2024 academic year. He serves on university committees, including the Academic/Sweet Sabbatical Committee and the Faculty Handbook Committee, and participates in local economic outlook presentations.