Résumé

A summary of my professional career includes novels, short story and poetry collections, books in the fields of history and economics, articles in academic journals, university teaching and administrative experience, government and private business consulting, addresses given to conferences, grants, and awards.

EDUCATION

Ph. D. University of Texas at Austin, 1972
M. A. University of Notre Dame, 1968
B. A. University of Notre Dame, 1967

WORK EXPERIENCE

Academic

Professor, St. Edward’s University (1990 – 2015). / Chair, Department of Economics, (1999 –
2011). / Founder and Director, University Honors Program, (1987 – 1999). / Associate Professor, (1984 – 1990). / Adjunct Associate Professor, (1979 – 1984).
Visiting Professor, Texas State University (1991 – 1999, selected semesters).
Visiting Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas (Spring 1998).
Visiting Professor, Southwestern University (1992 – 1994).
Adjunct Professor, University of Texas (1984 – 1991).
Associate Professor, Naval Postgraduate School (1976 – 1977).
Adjunct Associate Professor, Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies (1976 – 1977).
Assistant Professor, Naval Postgraduate School (1974 – 1976).
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Golden Gate University (1974 – 1976).
Assistant Professor, University of North Florida (1973 – 1974).
Instructor of Economics, University of Texas (1968 – 1973).

Non-Academic

Member, Board of Directors, Writers’ League of Texas, 2013 – 2018.
Contributing Editor, PERSPECTIVES IN BUSINESS magazine, 2005 – 2010.
Research Associate and Editor of TEXAS BUSINESS REVIEW magazine, Bureau of Business Research, University of Texas (1979 – 1984).
Host of weekly radio program entitled “Texas Business Review”, KUT-FM (1979 – 1980).
Research Economist, Planning and Research Division, Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts, State of Texas (1977 – 1979).

Consulting

2011: TEXAS HIGHWAYS Magazine
2006: Texas Mutual; the law firm of Graves, Dougherty, Hearon, & Moody; Research & Planning Consultants
1994: Media Logic, Inc., Los Angeles, California
1992-1996: The McLane Company, Temple, Texas
1977-1979: Texas Legislature and Texas Governor’s Office
1977: Ministry of Transportation of Saudi Arabia
1975: Ministry of Defense in Taipei, Taiwan
1974: Ministry of Defense in Saigon, South Vietnam
1974: Department of Social Services, Monterey County, California

PUBLICATIONS

Books (46)

Economics Titles (20)

(2016) From Human Evolution to Evolutionary Economics, North Charleston, South Carolina: CreateSpace Publishers.
(2016) An Evolutionary Alternative to Mainstream Microeconomics, North Charleston, South Carolina: CreateSpace Publishers.
(2015). A Micro View of Industry, Palo Cedro, California: CAT Publishing Company (with Hilal Yilmaz)
(2013). The Marginal Gospel, Palo Cedro, California: CAT Publishing Company.
(2012). The Imperfect Microscope, Palo Cedro, California: CAT Publishing Company (with James Willis and Michael Fabritius)
(2011). Human Progress Amid Resistance to Change, Victoria, British Columbia: Friesen Press.
(2008). The Market: Mainstream and Evolutionary Views, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing.
(2006). Small Trees in the Large Forest, Redding, California: CAT Publishing Company.
(2006). The Story of Economics, 2nd ed. Boston: XanEdu Publishing.
(2005). The Elusive Quest for Efficiency in an Inefficient World, Redding, California: CAT Publishing Company. (with J. Willis).
(2004). Consumers, Competition, and Corporations, Redding, California: CAT Publishing Company.
(2002). Markets, Merchants, and Monopolies, Redding, California: CAT Publishing Company. (with J. Willis).
(2000). From Adam and Eve to Adam Smith, Boston: Copley Publishing Group.
(1999). The Art of Making Choices, Redding, California: CAT Publishing Company. (with J. Willis and M. Primack).
(1998). Microeconomic Horizons, Redding, California: CAT Publishing Company. (with J. Willis and M. Primack).
(1994). Explorations in Microeconomics, Redding, California: CAT Publishing Company. (with J. Willis and M. Primack).
(1983). Regional Change in the U.S. Brewing Industry, Austin: University of Texas Bureau of Business Research (BBR).
(1981). Texas Fact Book, (three editions, 1984, 1982, 1981), Austin: UT BBR. (with R. Wright and M. Anderson).
(1980). Economic and Business Issues of the 1980s, Austin: UT BBR.
(1980). The Energy Picture: Problems and Prospects, Austin: UT BBR.

Literary Works (26)

(2025) A Childhood Lesson That Lasted a Lifetime, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2023) The Train That Finally Arrived: A Novel, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2023) Rediscovering Home: A Novel, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2023) The Trio With Four Members: A Novel, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2023) A Canadian in Michigan: A Novel, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2022) Michigan As It Once Was, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2022) For the First Time….Again, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2022) Living in Multiple Times, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2021) Time Does Wait for Some, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2021) When Yesterdays Change: Uncommon Temporal Voyages, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2021) As Narrow Paths Widen, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2020) Wonder at its Apogee, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2020) When Leaves Fall Upon the Winding Road, Seattle: Kindle Direct Publishing
(2018). Voyages Across Time, Rodzina Korzenie, Poland: Dzien Dobry Press.
(2018). Thirteen Time Travel Templates, Western Pines, British Columbia: Vanishing Glacier Press.
(2018). Poems Inspired By Waterfalls, Western Pines, British Columbia: Vanishing Glacier Press.
(2018). Recollection, Western Pines, British Columbia: Vanishing Glacier Press.
(2017). Familiar Footpaths, Western Pines, British Columbia: Vanishing Glacier Press.
(2017). My Best Stories, River Shores, Michigan: Distant Echo Press.
(2016). Strolling Through an Orchard: Selected Poems, River Shores, Michigan: Distant Echo Press.
(2016). Before the World Lost Its Compass: Short Stories and Poems, River Shores, Michigan: Distant Echo Press.
(2015). Whatever Happened to Our Dreams?, River Shores, Michigan: Distant Echo Press.
(2013). Twenty-One Yesterdays, Victoria, British Columbia: Friesen Press.
(2012). Two Peninsulas: More Michigan Tales, Victoria, British Columbia: Friesen Press.
(2010). The Best Six Years of Any Life, Victoria, British Columbia: Friesen Press.
(2010). Small Town Michigan Tales, Victoria, British Columbia: Friesen Press.

Major Refereed Articles (31)

(2013). “Veblen and the Study of Prehistoric Humans”. Journal of Economic Issues.
(2012). “Technology vs. Institutions in Prehistory”. Journal of Economic Issues.
(2010). “Evolutionary Alternatives to Equilibrium Economics: Some Suggested Applications”. American Journal of Economics and Sociology.
(2009). “Might Higher Minimum Wages Actually Create Jobs and Help Small Businesses?” Perspectives in Business.
(2008). “The Last Course on Institutionalism Taught by Clarence E. Ayres”. Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology.
(2007). “Chase: A Bank for the Twenty-First Century?” Dollars and Sense: the Magazine of Economic Justice.
(2007). “Entrepreneurial Challenges in a Declining Industry: The Case of Hobby Stores”. Central Business Review.
(2007). “The Libertarian Fantasy of an Ethical Market”. Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology.
(1989). “Industry Life Cycle Characteristics and Advertising Strategy in a Tight Knit Oligopoly”. Southern Business and Economic Journal.
(1984). “Mergers, Leading Firms, and the American Brewing Industry in the 1980s”. Review of Business.
(1984). “Reaganomics and the Regional Distribution of Federal Funds”. Review of Regional Economics and Business.
(1983). “Business Climate, Taxes and Expenditures, and State Industrial Growth in the U. S.” Southern Economic Journal. (with T. Plaut)
(1983). “Some Regional Issues Affecting the American Brewing Industry”. Review of Regional Economics and Business.
(1982). “The Real Growth of the U.S. Public Sector Over the Past Half Century”. Southwest Business and Economic Review.
(1981). “Real Public Sector Growth & Decline in Developing Countries”. Public Finance/Finances Publiques.
(1979). “Cost-Effectiveness As a Method of Evaluating Social Objectives Among Countries”. International Journal of Social Economics. (with L. Rittenoure).
(1979). “Public Expenditures and the Changing Role of the South American Military: Implications for Regional Development”. Quarterly Journal of Business and Economics. (with L. Rittenoure).
(1979). “The Declining Public Sector Thesis: An Additional Test and Implications for Developing Regions”. Social and Economic Studies.
(1979). “The Performance of South American Civilian and Military Governments from a Socio-Economic Perspective”. Development and Change.
(1979). “Wagner’s Law, Public Sector Patterns and Growth of Public Enterprises in Taiwan”. Public Finance Quarterly.
(1978). “National Defense and Social Welfare Budget Trends in Ten Nations of Postwar Western Europe”. International Journal of Social Economics.
(1978). “Veblen and Modern Radical Economics”. Journal of Economic Issues. (with C. Leathers).
(1977). “Is This the Best We Can Do in Teaching Principles of Economics?” American Economist.
(1977). “Theory of Intergovernmental Grants and Local Government”. Growth and Change: A Journal of Urban and Regional Policy. (with L. Rittenoure).
(1977). “Fiscal Policy for Industrialization and Development in Latin America”. Review of Social Economy.
(1977). “Presidential Spending Power”. Journal of American History.
(1976). “Economic Man: The Anthropology of Economics”. Journal of Developing Areas.
(1976). “Latin American Political Thought: A Developmental Perspective”. Hispanic American Historical Review.
(1976). “Paradigm Lost: John Stuart Mill and the Evolution of Social Thought”. Journal of Economics.
(1975). “East-West Economic Cooperation: Some Major Issues”. World Affairs.
(1974). “Growth and Patterns in U.S. Government Expenditures: 1956-1972”. National Tax Journal.

Book Chapters (4)

(2013). “Kenneth Boulding’s Skeleton of Science and Contemporary General Systems Theory”, in Wilfred Dolfsma and Stefan Kesting (Eds.) Interdisciplinary Economics: Kenneth E. Boulding’s Engagement in the Sciences. London: Routledge.
(2008). “Evolutionary Economics and Neoclassical Microeconomics”, in Fathima Khanam (Ed.) Evolutionary Economics: An Introduction. Bombay: Financial Planners of India University Press.
(2007). “The Role of Chase Bank in the Enron Scandal”, in Daniel Fireside and Amy Gluckman (Eds.) Real World Banking. Boston: Economic Affairs Bureau.
(1978). “Effectiveness of Social Welfare Expenditure in South American Countries: Some Comparative Issues”, in Nake M. Kamrany (Ed.) The New Economics of the Less Developed Countries. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.

OTHER

Courses Taught (25)

Undergraduate, Honors, and Graduate

Evolutionary Economics
Microeconomic Principles
Intermediate Micro Theory
Intermediate Macro Theory
Managerial Economics
History of Economic Thought
American Economic History
Business History
Industrial Organization
Business and Society
Public Finance
Problems in Public Finance
Economics of Developing Countries
Contemporary Economic Issues
Special Topics in Economics
Macroeconomic Principles
Managerial Economics (MBA)
Political Economy (MPA)
Public Budgeting (MPA)
Economic Analysis (MBA)
The 20th Century (Honors)
Economic Philosophy (Honors)
The 50s: Early Postwar America (Honors)
American Life in the 20s and 30s (Honors)
Economic Issues in U. S. History (Honors)

Awards

2009: Sigma Alpha Pi Excellence in Teaching Award, St. Edward’s University.
2006: Distinguished Teaching Career Award, St. Edward’s University.
1995: School of Business Teaching Excellence Award, St. Edward’s University.
1990: Sears Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence Award, St. Edward’s University.
1972: Ayres-Montgomery Award for Teaching Excellence, University of Texas.

Research Grants

Received the St. Edward’s University Presidential Excellence Summer Scholarly Activity Grant for eleven consecutive summers from 2003 to 2013.
Received a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant during the summer of 1973.

National Presentations

(2006). The Teaching of the History of Economic Thought. History of Economics Society Conference at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa.
(1988). Economic Issues Confronting the New U. S. Supreme Court. Conference at the University of Texas, (appeared on a panel with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and one other faculty member), Austin, Texas.
(1985). The Catholic Bishop’s Report on the State of the U. S. Economy. Conference Sponsored by the Six Catholic Universities in Texas, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas.
(1984). Key Industries in the Regional Development of the Southwest. Conference on the Texas Economy Sponsored by the Graduate School of Business, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
(1976). John Stuart Mill and the Evolution of Economic Ideas. Annual Conference of the Missouri Valley Economic Association, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
(1976). The Influence of Thorstein Veblen on the Economic Thought of the New Left. Western Social Science Association Meetings, Arizona State University. (with C. Leathers).
(1975). Employment Effects of Recent Federal Job Training Programs. American Economic Association Meetings, Dallas, Texas.
(1975). Theory of Intergovernmental Grants and Local Government. Western Social Science Association Meetings, Denver, Colorado. (with L. Rittenoure).
(1973). Some Theoretical Issues in the Choice of Different Types of Bond Issues in Local Public Finance. Southern Economic Association Meetings, Atlanta, Georgia.

International Presentations

(1977). National Defense and Social Welfare Budget Trends in Ten Nations of Postwar Western Europe. Western Economic Association Meetings, San Diego, California.
(1977). Cost Effectiveness Analysis as a Tool for Evaluating Public Health Programs in Latin America. Public Policy Conference at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Austin, Texas.
(1976). Military Spending Trends in Five South American Countries. International Studies Association Conference, Toronto, Canada.
(1976). Veblen and Modern Radical Economics. History of Economics Society Conference at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. (with C. Leathers).
(1976). Cost Effectiveness of Public Education Systems in Selected Latin American Countries. Conference on Developing Countries at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
(1975). The Use of Benefit/Cost Analysis in Evaluating Military Programs. Conference on Resource Management at the Ministry of Defense, Taipei, Taiwan.
(1975). The Changing Role of Government Spending in OECD and NATO Countries of Europe. Conference on the European Economy at the Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, Ireland.

Joseph E. Pluta

Author, Economist, and Professor