By Annalise Ray

Dr. Benjamin Marx is an associate professor of economics at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. His research explores the relationship between economic policy and social well-being, focusing on charitable giving, the nonprofit sector and financial aid in higher education.

Dr. Marx’s academic career began at Robert Morris University where he initially pursued a degree in finance. However, an introductory economics course shifted his focus to the field’s potential to address societal issues.

“Learning about financial calculations was valuable, but I switched to an economics major after taking my first course in the subject and learning ways of thinking about solving problems at a societal level,” he explains.

Since then, his professional path has been shaped by diverse experiences in and out of academia. After graduation, Dr. Marx spent time teaching English in China, assisting refugee resettlement in Dallas, managing finances for an after-school program and consulting for charitable foundations. Each of these roles deepened his understanding of economic policy’s real-world impact and solidified his decision to enter academia full-time.

“With each job, I took on more research experiences and realized that I wanted an academic position in which I could conduct and discuss research on a full-time basis.”

His research in public economics seeks to study the consequences of economic decisions and government policy on human well-being. To estimate these, he runs randomized trials and employs observational methods that measure the causal impacts of changing economic policy. His two primary research areas include evaluating the impact of student loans and grants on academic performance and analyzing the factors that influence charitable donations. His work has been published in prestigious academic journals such as American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, and Journal of Public Economics, among others

One of Dr. Marx’s most rewarding research projects examined charitable giving patterns following natural disasters. Utilizing American Red Cross donation data and geocoding, he and his coauthor analyzed how factors like disaster proximity and the affected areas’ average incomes influence donations. The study revealed that rural communities often receive less support due to their distance from high-population areas and highlighted a critical gap in disaster relief funding.

“Figuring out how to do the analysis has been laborious but especially rewarding in light of our robust findings that rural areas could use additional support.”

Dr. Marx moved to Georgia State after discovering the university’s research in identifying the causal effects of public policies where he remains committed to shaping future researchers and helping students develop analytical skills.

“I believe that it is essential to a well-functioning society for citizens to be informed and have a solid grasp of the core concepts of public economics. They should be able to recognize when politicians make misleading claims and should understand factors that determine whether a government policy intervention improves wellbeing.”

He enjoys teaching public economics to students from the undergraduate to the Ph.D. level, tailoring his approach to fit the academic needs of each group.

“Regardless of the level, I get to introduce students to how we think about wellbeing and policy analysis.”

Outside of academics, Dr. Marx enjoys live music, spending time in nature and watching sports. His research commitment and passion for teaching make him a perfect fit for Georgia State where he continues to conduct important research in public economics.

 

Annalise Ray is a student of the M.A. program in English at Georgia State and is a graduate administrative assistant for communications in the Office of the Provost.