Diana Weinert Thomas, PhD
Director, Institute for Economic Inquiry
Professor

Contact
Heider College of Business
Economics & Finance - Business
Institute for Economic Inquiry
HARP - Harper Center for Student Life & Learn
Diana Weinert Thomas, PhD
Director, Institute for Economic Inquiry
Professor
In her research, Dr. Thomas explores the unintended consequences of regulation and the role political entrepreneurs play in changing the rules that govern society. She has published in a number of academic outlets including Public Choice, Kyklos, Applied Economics, the Southern Economic Journal, and the Journal of Banking and Finance. At Creighton, Dr. Thomas teaches Microeconomics and Public Choice.
Curriculum Vitae: Diana Weinert Thomas
Department
Economics and Finance
Position
Professor
Books
- Springer
Diana W. Thomas and Michael D. Thomas, The Fiscal Squeeze: Budgets between Fiscal Illusion, Fiscal Commons, and the Tyranny of Experts, in David Hebert and Diana W. Thomas (eds.), Emergence, Entanglement, and Political Economy 2019 - Oxford University Press
William F. Shughart II, Diana W. Thomas, Interest Groups and Regulatory Capture, in Roger D. Congleton, Bernie Grofman, and Stefan Voigt (eds.) Oxford Handbook of Public Choice, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2019 - Edward Elgar Publishing
William F. Shughart II and Diana W. Thomas, Regulatory Rent Seeking, in Roger D. Congleton and Arye L. Hillman (eds.), The Elgar Companion to Rent Seeking, Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar 2015 - Stanford University Press
Diana W. Thomas, I've Got a Monopoly to Maintain! Market Failure in The Simpsons, in Joshua C. Hall (eds.), Homer Economicus: The Simpsons and Economics, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 2014
Articles
- Cosmos + Taxis
Michael D. Thomas & Diana W. Thomas, Alcohol Prohibition in the Beehive: How the Word of Wisdom Became a Commandment
forthcoming 2020 - Public Choice
Michael D. Thomas & Diana W. Thomas, Behavioral Symmetry, Rent Seeking, and the Republic of Science
forthcoming 2020 - Quarterly Journal of Finance & Accounting
Kevin D. Gomez & Diana W. Thomas, Introduction to a Special Issue on Financial Market De/Re-Regulation
forthcoming 2020 - Kyklos
William F. Shughart II, Michael D. Thomas, and Diana W. Thomas, Institutional Change and the Importance of Understanding Shared Mental Models, Kyklos, forthcoming. 2019 - Public Choice
Thomas, Diana W., Regressive Effects of Regulation
180(1+2), p. 1-10 2019 - The Review of Austrian Economics
Thomas, D. A process perspective on regulation: who bears the dispersed costs of regulation?
31(4), p. 395-402 2018 - Public Choice
Bailey, James; Thomas, Diana W., Anderson, Joe, Regressive Effects of Regulation on Wages
180(1+2), p. 91-103 2018 - Independent Review
Thomas, Michael D.; Thomas, Diana W., Markets for Blood: Wellbeing and the Return to Productive and Non-Productive Entrepreneurship
22(4) 2018 - Journal of Regulatory Economics
Bailey, James; Thomas, Diana W., Regulating Away Competition: The Effect of Regulation on Entrepreneurship and Employment
52(3), p. 237-254 2017 - Applied Economics
Thomas, Diana W.; Gorry, Devon H. Regulation and the Cost of Child Care
49 (141), p. 4138-4147 2017 - Southern Economic Journal
Thomas, D., Shughart II, W.F., What Did Economists Do? Euvoluntary, voluntary, and Coercive Institutions for Collective Action
80(4), p. 926-937 2015 - Independent Review
Thomas, D., Thomas, M., Markets for Blood: Wellbeing and the Return to Productive and Non-Productive Entrepreneurship
22(4) 2015 - Supreme Court Economic Review
Thomas, D., Shughart II, W.F., Intellectual Property Rights, Public Choice, Networks, and the New Age of Informal IP Regimes
23, p. 169-192 2015 - The Journal of International Money and Finance
Thomas, D., Blau, B., Brough, T. Economic Freedom and the Stability of Stock Prices: A Cross-Country Analysis
41, p. 182-196 2014 - The Review of Austrian Economics
Thomas, D., Thomas, M., Entrepreneurship: Catallactic and Constitutional Perspectives
27(1), p. 11-22 2014 - Journal of Banking & Finance
Thomas, D., Blau, B., Brough, T., Corporate Lobbying, Political Connections, and the Bailout of Banks
37(8), p. 3007-3017 2013 - Kyklos
Thomas, D., Thomas, M., Snow, N., Rational lIrrationality and the Political Process of Repeal: The Women's Organiztion for National Prohibition Reform and the 21st Amendment
66(1), p. 130-152 2013 - Public Choice
Thomas, D., Martin, A., Two-Tiered Political Entrepreneurship and the Congressional Committee System
154(1-2), p. 21-37 2013 - Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy
Thomas, D., Leeson, P., The Brewer, The Baker, and the Monopoly Maker 2013 - Journal of Public and Municipal Finance
Thomas, D., Yonk, R., Young, S., In and Out of the Commons - Extractive Public Entrepreneurship and the Aggie Blue Bikes Program 2012 - Advances in Austrian Economics
Thomas, D., The Institutional Context of Epistemic Communities: Experts in PT Bauer's Work
17, p. 81-97 2012 - Journal of Private Enterprise
Thomas, D., Thomas, M., Encourage a Productive Research Agenda: Peter Boetke and the Devil's Test
26(1), p. 103-115 2010 - Independent Review
Thomas, D., Simmons, R., Yonk, R., Bootleggers, Baptists and Political Entrepreneurs: Key Players in the Rational and Morality Play of Regulatory Politics
15(3) 2010 - Public Choice
Thomas, D., Deregulation Despite Transitional Gains-The Brewers Guild of Cologne 1461
140(3), p. 329-3340 2009
Publications
- Kevin D. Gomez, Ryan M. Yonk, & Diana W. Thomas, Precaution can kill: chemical benefits and regulatory risks, Independent Institute Briefing, May 15th 2020 2020
- Mercatus Center Working Paper
Dustin Chamber, Patrick McLaughlin, Diana W. Thomas, and Kathryn Waldron, The Effect of Regulation on Low-Income Households 2019 - Mercatus Center Working Paper
James Bailey and Diana W. Thomas, Regulating Away Competition: The Effect of Regulation on Entrepreneurship and Employment 2015 - Mercatus Center Working Paper
Devon H. Gorry and Diana W. Thomas, Regulation and the Cost of Childcare 2015 - Mercatus Center Working Paper
Thomas, D., Regressive Effects of Regulation 2015 - National Center for Policy Analysis
Diana W. Thomas, Increasing the Supply of Affordable Child Care, in Roger Koppl (eds.) Enterprise Programs: Freeing Entrepreneurs to Provide Essential Services for the Poor - A Task Force Report 2011 - National Center for Policy Analysis
Diana W. Thomas, Brief Analyses: Increasing the Supply of Affordable Child Care
Editing and Reviews
- Omaha World Herald
Kevin Gomez and Diana W. Thomas, Midlands Voices: Throw away the plastic bag ban 2019 - U.S. News & World Report
James Bailey and Diana W. Thomas, Red Tape Kills Jobs 2015 - U.S. News & World Report
Diana Thomas, Stuck with Second-Class Child Care 2015 - The Washington Times
Thomas, D., Shughart, W.F., Antitrust Busybodies 2013 - the Salt Lake Tribune
Thomas, D., Simmons R., Utah's declining economic freedom 2012 - the Salt Lake Tribune
Thomas, D., Blau, B., Brough, T., Many happy returns 2011
General
- Francisco Marroquin University
Kevin Gomez, Michael D. Thomas, Diana W. Thomas, James Buchanan's Legacy in Public Finance, in UFM Companion - James Buchanan, forthcoming 2019 - Cato Policy Analysis
William F. Shughart II and Diana W. Thomas, Antitrust Enforcement in the Obama Administration's First Term: A Regulatory Approach
No. 739 2013
Presentations
- Diana W. Thomas and Michael D. Thomas, The Fiscal Squeeze: State Budgets between Fiscal Illusion, Fiscal Commons, and the Tyranny of Experts 2019
- Diana W. Thomas and Michael D. Thomas, Wagnerian Political Economy: The Next Generation 2018
- Diana W. Thomas, Michael Munger's Tomorrow 3.0 2018
- The Treason of Rules, Public Choice Society Annual Meeting, Charleson, SC 2018
- Regressive Effects of Regulation on Wages, Southern Economic Association Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL 2017
- The Fiscal Squeeze, Texas Tech University, Economics Research Seminar 2017
- Regressive Effects of Regulation on Wages 2017
- Between Ignorance and Irrationality - What Political Institutions can Tell Us about the True Culprit in Government Failure Theory 2016
- Panelist, Regulation of Industry, Employment, and Entrepreneurship. Public Choice Society Annual Meeting 2015
- Panelist, The Law of the Taxi: Informal Property Rights Institutions Among Peruvian Taxi Drivers. Southern Economic Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA 2014
- Panelist: ADR Volatility and Regulation. Southern Economic Association Annual Metting, Atlanta, GA 2014
- Markets for Blood. Colloquium on Market Institutions and Economic Processes, New York University 2014
- Expert Witness, The Effects of Regulation on Low-Income Households 2013
- Ignorance, Irrationality and Intransitivity, Market vs. Government Failure and Institutions and Economic Performance. The Institute for Humane Studies Summer Seminar 2013
- America is #18, The Isms and Is Rational Ignorance and Oxymoron. Foundation for Economic Education Summer Seminar-Anything Peaceful 2013
- Bootleggers and Baptists, Government vs. Governance and Austrian Macro: The Boom and Bust Cycle. The Institute for Humane Studies Summer Seminar 2012
- Ignorance, Irrationality, and Intransitivity, Market vs. Government Failure and Government vs. Governance. The Institute for Humane Studies Summer Seminar- Liberty and Current Issues 2012
- Bootleggers and Baptists, Austrian Economics, and Political Entrepreneurship. The Institute for Humane Studies Summer Seminar 2011
- Spontaneous Order and the Market Process, Politics without Romance, and Economic Theories of Regulation. The Institute for Humane Studies Summer Seminar. 2010