W. Mark Crain
Professor of Economics


Dr. Crain is a tenured Professor in George Mason’s Economics Department, and he teaches regularly in the undergraduate and graduate programs. He has published over 100 articles and 7 books in the fields of economics and political science. His recent book, Volatile States (University of Michigan Press, 2003), analyzes the evolution of public policy and its impact on economic and fiscal performance in the American States.

Dr. Crain serves a Trustee of the Virginia Retirement System, the 29th largest pension fund in the United States with over 500,000 active and retired members and assets of $35 billion. He chairs the Audit Committee and the Task Force on Corporate Governance, which issued a widely acclaimed report in 2003 on the appropriate degree of activism for a public pension fund. His other civic duties for the Commonwealth of Virginia include service on eight state boards and commissions during the administrations of four Virginia Governors.

Dr. Crain has previously been a faculty member at UCLA and Virginia Tech, and he was Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Dr. Crain holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A & M University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Houston. He resides in McLean, Virginia with his wife and two children, and enjoys guitar, foosball, surfing, tennis, and jogging.

Dr. Crain's WORKING PAPERS - VITA