Our faculty help inform public policy through research in economics, education, health and taxes.
The Boyd Center conducts research to reveal key insights about the economy and public programs in Tennessee and across the nation.
Housed within the Boyd Center, TNSDC disseminates data from the U.S. Census Bureau and is a designated State Data Center.
Compared to the Summer 2024 survey, fewer leaders believe the U.S. will fall into a recession this year. About 58 percent believe the probability is less than 25 percent, and none think there is a 76 percent or higher chance of recession. Respondents were also asked to prioritize potential changes with the incoming presidential administration, giving the highest priority to items integral to the success of their business in Tennessee. We summarize key themes that emerge in our Winter 2025 report.
Economic forecasts, current as of December 2024, are based on an array of assumptions, particularly at the national level in Chapter 1. Chapter Two details major sectors of the Tennessee economy and presents the short-run and long-run outlook, and Chapter Three assesses artificial intelligence and how it could affect the economy nationwide.
Every two years, the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research partners with the Tennessee State Data Center to publish population projections for Tennessee’s 95 counties. The most recent data, published in fall 2024, includes forecasts through 2070 on population, age, race/Hispanic ethnicity and sex for each county in the state.
Since 2019, Navigate Reconnect has been Tennessee’s primary model of college coaching and advising for independent and over-25 students in Tennessee. For the first annual Navigate Reconnect report, we combined program records with state administrative data to understand the rate at which Reconnectors enroll and persist in college and complete credentials.
The Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research contracts with the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration to conduct an annual survey of Tennessee residents in order to ascertain their insurance status and use of medical facilities. It also gauges satisfaction rates for the TennCare program.
Boyd Distinguished Professor
William F. Fox Distinguished Professor of Labor Economics
Boyd Distinguished Professor of Health Economics, Dr. Michael Stahl PEMBA Faculty Fellow (2017-2022-2023)
Research Associate Professor
Don Bruce, Boyd Distinguished Professor, recently addressed the logic of the force reduction, implications for taxpayers and more.