He received his PhD in economics from the University of California, San Diego, and he has taught at the University of Georgia, Washington University, George Mason University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, University of Colorado, San Diego State College, and American Institute of Banking.
His books include Economics in Our Time (with R. McNown), Microeconomics (with F. Glahe), Taxation and the Deficit Economy (ed.), Regulating Government (with R. McKenzie), The Market Reader (ed. with J. Doti), Quicksilver Capital (with R. McKenzie), and Failure and Progress (with R. McKenzie). A contributor to 25 other books, he is the author of over 135 scholarly articles and reviews, and his articles have appeared in The Washington Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Atlanta Constitution, USA Today, Newsday, Journal of Commerce, Across the Board, San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, and Forbes.
He is the former president of the Association of Private Enterprise Education and president of the Southern Economic Association.