CU Economics Professor Receives Top Prize at Austrian Economics Research Conference
In March 2022, Jeffery Degner, professor of economics at Cornerstone University, received the top prize for a paper submitted to the Austrian Economics Research Conference in Auburn, Ala.
The Austrian Economics Research Conference is an interdisciplinary gathering sponsored by the Mises Institute, one of the world’s leading think tanks for the Austrian school of economics. Annually, the conference brings together the top scholars and graduate students from around the world who are studying economics in the Austrian tradition.
Degner has been invited to present at the conference before in 2019. This year, Degner was also asked to submit a paper to the graduate student contest—he is currently nearing the completion of his Ph.D. in economic science from the University of Angers in western France. After presenting at the conference, he was honored to receive the top prize for best graduate paper.
The title of the paper was, “Cantillon Effects and the ‘Coming Apart’ of the American Family Experience.” In it, Degner described how the Federal Reserve’s long-standing inflationary policy creates increased wealth inequality. Degner, whose specialty is in the Mises school of thought regarding specialty is in monetary economics, has presented on inflation and its effects in the past. In the March 2019 Austrian Economics Research Conference, his presentation was entitled, “The Family in the Inflation Culture.” In April 2022, he was featured in the Center for Biblical Unity’s podcast “All The Things” in an episode titled “Inflation: The Justice Issue No One Is Talking About.”
“Recent price increases have afforded me a wider audience to discuss the real culprit in the rising prices we see today,” Degner said.
Degner has a special relationship with the Mises Institute. He has been connected with the institute for over 10 years and is a research fellow with them. Every summer, he brings a group of Cornerstone students to Mises University, a week-long forum of lectures and opportunities to learn about the Austrian tradition of economics.
“The reception of the Garschina Award was a particular honor for me, given my respect for committee members at the conference,” Degner said. “They are among the world’s leaders in Austrian economics.”
“Professor Degner’s achievement is a testament to the continued scholarship of our tremendous faculty here at Cornerstone,” said Gerson Moreno-Riaño, Ph.D., president of Cornerstone. “CU is blessed by individuals like Degner not only for their academic achievements, but also for their willingness to teach students and impart their wisdom to subsequent generations.”