I have taught economics at Bentley University for the past 33 years. I earned a BA in economics at the University of Wisconsin and a PhD in economics at the University of Chicago. I am also the Ralph G. Hawtrey Chair of Monetary Policy at the Mercatus Center. My research has been in the field of monetary economics, particularly the role of the gold standard in the Great Depression. I’ve published in the Journal of Political Economy, the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, and Economic Inquiry. My policy work has focused on the importance of expectations, particularly using futures markets to guide monetary policy. Since early 2009, I have been writing posts at TheMoneyIllusion.com and more recently at Econlog.