research

2026

1. Enabling Collaborative Research at Scale: The Economic Education Network for Experiments (EENE)

   George Orlov, Doug McKee, Emily Marshall, William Goffe, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Journal of Economic Education, 2026

   Abs DOI

   The Economic Education Network for Experiments (EENE) is an ambitious new infrastructure designed to make large-scale, multi-site research a reality in economic education. By coordinating recruitment, standardization, and implementation across institutions worldwide, EENE increases statistical power, generalizability, and efficiency while fostering a spirit of shared inquiry. The vision is a global platform through which economists can collectively test, replicate, and refine what works in teaching and learning, moving the field from small-scale innovation to sustained, cumulative progress.

2. Engaging Students Using Social Media: An Update to the Students’ Perspective

   Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Johnny Ducking, Darshak Patel, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Journal of Economic Education, 2026

   Abs DOI

   This study surveys nearly 600 economics students across four universities on social media preferences and habits, finding that Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube are the most popular platforms among students. The research collects data on the extent to which students would consider adding professors to their social media networks, including the type of content students prefer and the kinds of social media assignments they would most and least enjoy. Female and non-White students were found to have significantly more privacy concerns about connecting with professors on social media.

2025

1. Takeoffs and Trade: A Sorted Effects Approach

   Rishav Bista, Erik Figueiredo, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   World Economy, 2025

   Abs DOI

   This paper uses an augmented production function to empirically examine whether accelerated trade growth affects the probability of achieving a sustained increase in economic growth (takeoffs). The researchers propose a robust causal relationship between trade and takeoffs by generating a time-varying geographic instrument and use a fixed effects Logit model controlling for incidental parameters bias, then apply the sorted effects method to estimate partial effects of trade on the probability of a takeoff. Results suggest that trade openness is much more important for middle-income economies who have stagnated and want to spark economic growth.

2. Economic Sanctions and Export Margins

   Rishav Bista and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Review of International Economics, 2025

   Abs DOI

   Using a gravity model framework and the updated Global Sanctions Data Base, this paper characterizes the heterogeneous response of exports to various types of sanctions using disaggregated product-level trade flows for 247 countries over 1962–2019. The study examines both exporter and importer sanctions, distinguishing how different types affect trade. Complete sanctions have the strongest impact on the extensive margin, while partial sanctions matter most for the intensive margin. Importer sanctions show approximately a 7% decline in the extensive margin, while arms sanctions reduce the extensive margin by about three products and travel sanctions by nearly seven products.

2024

1. Teaching Economics Online

   2024

   Abs

   Teaching Economics Online combines past experience with innovative ideas on how to design teaching and improve the overall learning experience whilst remaining inclusive, effective and resilient. The book is organized into three main parts covering effective learning in online classrooms, creating adaptable learning environments, and collaborative learning in online classrooms. Topics include making learning stick in online education, revolutionizing teaching economics online with AI, and accessibility, inclusivity, and diversity in teaching economics online.

2. The Econ Games: building a virtual co-curricular conference to create community and connect students

   Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Darshak Patel, Daria Sevastianova, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   In Teaching Economics Online, 2024

   Abs

   The Econ Games is a student competition that was initially designed as a programmatic ancillary to benefit students majoring in economics at Northern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky. It has grown into an annual international competition with participation from over forty academic institutions and attracts data and financial support from a wide array of private industry and governmental partners. This immersive experiential learning opportunity connects student teams with community partners where they utilize research skills to tackle real-world challenges, prioritizes inclusivity, and helps participants gain practical experience with data, improve presentation and teamwork abilities, and kickstart career development.

2023

1. Teaching the Introductory Microeconomics Course with Social Media

   Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Darshak Patel, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   In Teaching Principles of Microeconomics, 2023

   Abs DOI

   This chapter examines how to teach the Introductory Microeconomics course using social media platforms. Building on prior research by the authors on student and educator perspectives regarding social media in economics education, the chapter provides pedagogical strategies for integrating social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube into Principles of Microeconomics courses, with consideration for student privacy concerns and preferences for voluntary participation.

2021

1. Economic growth takeoffs and the extensive and intensive margins of trade

   Rishav Bista and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Review of Development Economics, 2021

   Abs DOI

   Using the definition of takeoffs from prior work, the authors identify 142 economic growth takeoffs and use a gravity model to investigate the relationship between exports and sudden, prolonged increases in economic growth, decomposing exports into the extensive and intensive margins. The study finds evidence that exports increase significantly immediately before and during a growth episode, with the extensive margin being entirely responsible for the observed increase in exports. Developing countries see a larger percentage point increase in the extensive margin and decrease in the intensive margin during a takeoff, suggesting export diversification as a potential policy option for growth takeoffs.

2020

1. The Impact of National Anthem Protests on National Football League Television Ratings

   Judah Brown and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Journal of Sports Economics, 2020

   Abs DOI

   Using detailed data on players’ protests and television ratings to construct a game-level panel for the four NFL seasons between 2014 and 2017, the study finds that protests are statistically significantly associated with lower TV ratings, though the economic magnitude is relatively muted. The National Football League’s television ratings decreased by approximately 8% during the 2016 season, then a further 10% the following season, coinciding with league-wide national anthem protests initiated by Colin Kaepernick at the beginning of the 2016 season.

2. How often does active learning actually occur? Perception vs. Reality

   Ben Smith and Brandon J. Sheridan

   AEA Papers and Proceedings, 2020

   Abs DOI

   Analyzing audio recordings of 535 total classes from 30 different instructors, the study shows instructors greatly underestimate how often they use passive learning pedagogies such as lecturing. Survey results show instructors estimate they lecture approximately 78.5 percent of class time; the data reveals the true average is 89 percent. This gap between perception and reality is statistically significant, providing empirical evidence on the prevalence of active versus passive learning methods in economics classrooms.

3. Growth takeoffs and trade margins: a quantile regression approach

   Rishav Bista, Erik Figueiredo, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Empirical Economics, 2020

   Abs DOI

   Recent studies find evidence that economic growth takeoffs are strongly positively correlated with large increases in total aggregate exports. This paper addresses how the average relationship masks potential heterogeneous impacts at different levels of the trade distribution. The authors employ two quantile regression models that allow for panel data and fixed effects, with one model also using instrumental variables to address endogeneity concerns, investigating whether takeoffs affect countries equally across different points in the trade distribution.

2019

1. Heterogeneous Time Zone Effects and Exports

   Rishav Bista, Erik Figueiredo, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Economics Bulletin, 2019

   Abs

   The negative effect of time zone differences on trade flows due to an increase in trade costs across country-pairs has been well established. This paper uses quantile estimation to examine whether time zone differences have heterogeneous effects along the conditional distribution of exports. The authors find that the negative relationship between time zone differences and trade is driven mainly by country-pairs that trade the least, with time zone differences negatively impacting trade more for countries at the low end (10th percentile) compared to the higher end (90th percentile) of the trade distribution.

2017

1. Evaluating Twitter and its Impact on Student Learning in Principles of Economics Courses

   Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Darshak Patel, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Journal of Economic Education, 2017

   Abs DOI

   This study conducted a formal assessment of students in Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics across three different institutions to determine if the use of Twitter increases engagement and/or improves learning outcomes. A randomized control trial was used to measure learning outcomes from test results across the institutions, finding the empirical importance of Twitter on learning to be small for the class as a whole.

2. Short vs. long: cognitive load, retention, and changing class structures

   Ben Smith, Erin Pleggenkuhle-Miles, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Education Economics, 2017

   Abs DOI

   Universities are increasingly offering long night classes (some lasting as long as six hours) to accommodate working students, though these long classes have unintended consequences from cognitive load. Using a panel of 124 students (372 observations) and a differencing approach that controls for student characteristics, the study shows that long classes reduce student exam performance by approximately one-half letter grade (significant at the 5% level), particularly for content taught in the second half of extended class periods.

3. Have Economic Educators Embraced Social Media as a Teaching Tool?

   Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Darshak Patel, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Journal of Economic Education, 2017

   Abs DOI

   This study examined the perceptions of a national sample of economics faculty members from various institutions regarding the use of social media as a teaching tool in and out of the economics classroom. The survey found that in general, economic educators are using social media but not directly for educational purposes. Except for YouTube and podcasts, 50 percent or more of the educators surveyed never used Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, or LinkedIn in their teaching. Economics instructors predominantly use Twitter to share information with students, rather than actively engaging students to interact directly with Twitter.

2016

1. The Great Digital Divide: Using Popular Media to Teach Economics

   Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Kim Holder, Darshak Patel, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Journal of Economics and Economic Education Research, 2016

   Abs

   This study evaluated educators’ use of popular culture as a teaching resource by surveying students at four institutions over two years to identify which television shows work best for teaching economics. Results indicate that the popular media frequently used by economics instructors (The Simpsons, The Office, The Big Bang Theory, and Seinfeld) are not always correspondingly popular with current students, suggesting a disconnect between instructor perceptions and student preferences for media-based pedagogical tools.

2. Austerity and Exports

   Josh Ederington, Jenny Minier, Rishav Bista, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Review of International Economics, 2016

   Abs DOI

   This paper investigates the potential for expansionary austerity—the idea that cutting budget deficits may increase growth in the short run—by examining the relationship between austerity measures and export dynamics. The study uses international trade data to assess how countries implementing austerity policies experience changes in export performance and competitiveness, finding that austerity is associated with significant changes in the composition and volume of exports across affected economies.

2015

1. Engaging Students Using Social Media: The Students’ Perspective

   Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Darshak Patel, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   International Review of Economics Education, 2015

   Reprinted in Grimes, P. (2019). Teaching College Economics. Edward Elgar Publishing.

   Abs

   Students have the strongest presence on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, though based on their utilization preferences, these mediums are ranked as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Students are concerned with privacy but are more willing to connect with faculty if the connection is one-way and participate if social media is a voluntary part of class. The survey was administered at three academic institutions to students in Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics courses, finding that social media can be an effective tool for classroom engagement when implemented with consideration for student preferences regarding privacy and interaction types.

2014

1. Manufacturing Exports and Economic Growth: When is a Developing Country Ready to Transition from Primary Exports to Manufacturing Exports?

   Brandon J. Sheridan

   Journal of Macroeconomics, 2014

   Lead Article

   Abs DOI

   Using data from a wide cross-section of countries over 1970–2009, this study finds that although increasing manufacturing exports is important for sustained economic growth, this relationship only holds once a threshold level of development is reached. The author uses regression tree analysis to identify possible economic development thresholds in the relationship between manufacturing exports and GDP per capita growth, finding that a minimum level of human capital and education is needed before exporting manufactures is beneficial for transitioning from primary exports to manufactured exports.

2. A Primer for New Teachers of Economics

   Gail Hoyt, Jennifer Imazeki, and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Southern Economic Journal, 2014

   Abs DOI

   In many economics programs, both graduate students and new assistant professors are thrown into the classroom without guidance, with the potential for negative ramifications that can last throughout their careers as teachers. This primer offers unique insights into useful methods and practices for new teachers in the economics profession, discussing organizational and logistical issues that new teachers must consider, as well as specific pedagogical tools and techniques. Following the growing literature on the benefits of student-centered and interactive instruction, the authors organize alternative pedagogies in terms of their level of complexity and time required.

2013

1. The Dynamics of Sectoral Electricity Demand for a Panel of US States: New Evidence on the Consumption-Growth Nexus

   James Saunoris and Brandon J. Sheridan

   Energy Policy, 2013

   Abs DOI

   Like many other industrialized or developing countries, electricity contributes to a considerable portion of the United States’ gross domestic product (GDP) growth. This paper analyzes the dynamics of sectoral electricity demand for a panel of US states, examining new evidence on the consumption-growth nexus. The econometric model permits cross-sectional heterogeneity within a dynamic framework that incorporates information on relevant income and prices of domestic and foreign goods, with both short-run dynamics and long-run slope coefficients allowed to vary across cross-sections.