He has published first-of-its-kind research on the influence of occupational licensing burdens on immigrant entrepreneurs and how licensing hinders the ability of those leaving prison to integrate into the labor force and earn a second chance. His work on these topics has been widely cited by journalists and scholars, as well as the White House report on occupational licensing issued by President Obama’s administration in 2015.
Prior to Cato, he was deputy director of strategic research at the Pacific Legal Foundation and a senior research fellow at the Center for the Study of Economic Liberty at Arizona State University. He also formerly held positions as senior economist at the Goldwater Institute, research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, senior editor in the research division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and director of budget studies at the Cato Institute.
He is author of the book, Buck Wild: How Republicans Broke the Bank and Became the Party of Big Government, published in 2006. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Businessweek, and many other print and online publications. His work has been cited in The Economist and The Washington Post, and he has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC.
Stephen earned undergraduate degrees in economics and English from Florida State University and an M.A. in economics from George Mason University.