Benjamin B. Lockwood

For information about my research, please visit my personal website.

BEPP 6110 (previously MGEC 611): Microeconomics for Managers: Foundations (MBA)

BEPP 6120 (previously MGEC 612): Microeconomics for Managers: Advanced Applications (MBA)

BEPP 9330: Public Economics (PhD)

Current Courses (Spring 2025)

• BEPP9330 - Public Econ: Social Ins

  The first part of this course will examine the rationale for and economic impact (e.g. on saving, labor supply, etc.) of social insurance programs such as social security, unemployment insurance and disability insurance. The next major part of the course will explore these same issues for government interventions in health insurance markets. The course will then cover research on public goods, externalities, fiscal federalism, and econmic stimulus (including the government's recent response to the "Great Recession") before proceeding to an exploration of the government's role in K-12 and high education. Both theoretical and empirical evidence will be covered along with a mix of classic studies and more cutting-edge research. Throughout the course we will discuss the tradoffs - for example between the protection and distortion of social insurance programs -- that influence government's optional role. While the focus will be on evidence from the U.S., some research from other industrialized and developing countries will also be covered.

  BEPP9330001 ( Syllabus )

• National Tax Association Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, 2016
• Roger Martin Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research in Business Economics, 2015
• Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University Bok Center, 2014-2015
• Beinecke Scholarship for Graduate Study, 2010-2011

• Taxing sweetened drinks by the amount of sugar could cut obesity and boost economic gains, Science Daily - 09/05/2019
• Experts Say Tax the Sugar—Not the Size—Of Drinks for Healthier Outcomes, AAAS - 09/05/2019
• The cigarette tax has saved millions of lives. A soda tax could too, Los Angeles Times - 06/03/2019
• How to tax sugary drinks, The Economist - 05/23/2019
• A nationwide tax on soda? Economists say it would be good for the country, and here’s their ‘optimal’ rate., Philadelphia Inquirer - 05/20/2019
• Story of Seattle: The city’s new soda tax is usurious — and also too low, The Seattle Times - 12/21/2018
• Measuring the effectiveness of Philly’s sugary drink ‘sin tax’, National Public Radio: Philadelphia WHYY - 03/06/2017
• Do Sin Taxes Really Work?, Yahoo Finance - 03/05/2017
• Here’s how much more soda will cost now that the tax is in effect, The Daily Pennsylvanian - 01/10/2017
• The case for a maximum wage, Vox - 08/06/2014
• Study: tax hikes could grow the economy, Vox - 04/20/2014
• Taxation and the distorted allocation of talent, Marginal Revolution - 04/05/2014

Knowledge at Wharton

• Do Sin Taxes Actually Work? | Ben Lockwood, Knowledge at Wharton - 3/18/2025
• How the Pandemic Could Affect Income Inequality, Knowledge at Wharton - 4/2/2020
• Sin and Soda: Can We Tax Our Way to Healthier Behavior?, Knowledge at Wharton - 5/24/2019
• Paid Family Leave: What’s the Right Model?, Knowledge at Wharton - 4/12/2019
• How the Tax Structure Can Be Tweaked for Social Good, Knowledge at Wharton - 4/13/2018
• Does Trickle-down Economics Add Up – or Is It a Drop in the Bucket?, Knowledge at Wharton - 12/12/2017
• Is a Universal Basic Income a Good Idea?, Knowledge at Wharton - 3/14/2017
• Do ‘Sin Taxes’ Really Change Consumer Behavior?, Knowledge at Wharton - 2/10/2017
• Building a Better Earned Income Tax Credit, Knowledge at Wharton - 1/19/2017