
Melissa Mahoney, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of EconomicsContact Information
- mmahoney@unca.edu
- 251-6672
- 157 Karpen Hall
Office Hours
Available by appointment.
Bio
Dr. Melissa Holly Mahoney is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Her research focuses on well-being, gender, labor market outcomes, economic pedagogy, and the Asheville housing market. Before joining UNC Asheville, Dr. Mahoney gained valuable profession and policy experience working at the United Nations and the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College. Dr. Mahoney holds a PhD and Master’s degree in Economics from The New School for Social Research and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Philosophy from Bard College. Her work has been published in prominent journals such as Feminist Economics, Review of Income and Wealth, and the Journal of Economic Education, and she has contributed to reports by UN Women and the American Association of University Women. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Mahoney enjoys listening to music, practicing yoga, running, taking long walks, and engaging in long meandering conversations. She has traveled extensively pursuing experiences that broaden her understanding of what it means to live life well and with intention.
Education
- Ph.D. in Economics from the New School for Social Research
- M.A. in Economic from the New School for Social Research
- B.A. in Economics from Bard College
Courses Taught
- Econ 103 Introductory Economic Analysis
- Econ 178 Springsteen-omics: Economics through the songs of Bruce Springsteen
- Econ 292 Intermediate Microeconomics
- Econ 331 Feminist Economics
- Econ 274 Gender in Capitalism
- Econ 274 Labor Economics
- Econ 450 Seminar in Economics in topics including Happiness and Economics,
Distribution and American Public Schools, and Gender and Economics - Econ 480 Approaches to Research in Economics
- Econ 499 Independent Study: Economics of Sexual Harassment
- Ist 220 Art and Science of Meditation
- Hum 414 Individual in the Contemporary World (Humanities capstone)
Publications
- “Healthcare Access and Job Mobility: The Impact of Medicaid Expansion, Private Health Insurance Coverage, and the Local Healthcare Workforce on Local Labor Markets,” Policy Report for the University of North Carolina Asheville MAHEC Health Policy Collaboration, 2023.
- “Better pay can help solve the local child care crisis” (with Mollie Gordon). Mountain Xpress. July 16, 2023
- Gender equality and sustainable energy: Lessons from Pacific Island countries and territories, Research and Policy Report. UN Women and the Pacific Community (SPC), Bangkok, Thailand, 2022.
- “Springsteen-omics: Contemplative Pedagogy and Springsteen in Undergraduate Economics Courses” (with Leah Greden Mathews and UNCA alumna, Audrey Thomas), Journal of Economics Education, Vol. 53(1): pp. 44-97, 2022.
- Systemic Racism and the Gender Wage Gap (with Lauren Haumesser). Policy Report. American Association for University Women (AAUW), Washington D.C., July 2021.
- Factory Flaw: The Attrition and Retention of Women in Manufacturing (with Lauren Haumesser), Research and Data Report. American Association for University Women (AAUW), Washington D.C., March 2021.
- “Do US TRAP Laws Trap Women into Bad Jobs?” (with Kate Bahn, Adriana Kugler, and Annie McGrew), Feminist Economics, Vol. 26(1): pp. 44-97, 2020.
- The Simple Truth About The Gender Wage Gap 2020 Update, Policy Fact Sheet. American Association for University Women (AAUW), Washington, D.C), 2020.
- “How Yoga Taught Me About Vocation.” In Ali Black and Susanne Garvis (Eds) Women Activating Agency in Academia: Metaphors, Manifestos and Memoir, Routledge, 2018.
- “Access to Reproductive Healthcare and Labor Market Opportunities for Women” (with Kate Bahn, Adriana Kugler, Danielle Corley, and Annie McGrew) Policy Report. Center for American Progress. Washington, D.C., November 21, 2017.
- “Inequity in American Public Schools: A New Perspective on the Distributional Effects of School Expenditures on Economic Well being,” Review of Income and Wealth, Vol. 59(4); pp. 593-794, 2013.
- “Do Gender Disparities in Employment Increase Profitability? Evidence from the United States” (with Ajit Zacharias). Feminist Economics, Vol. 13(3), pages 133-161, 2009.
- “Gender Disparities in Employment and Aggregate Profitability in the United States” (with Ajit Zacharias), Levy Economics Institute Working Paper No. 496, 2007.
- “Dynamic gains from U.S. services offshoring: A critical view.” In Eva Paus (ed), Global Capitalism Unbound: Winners and Losers from Offshore Outsourcing. London: Palgrave Macmillan (with Will Milberg, Markus Schneider, and Rudiger Von Armin), 2007.
- “State-Market Relations for a Globalized Economy” (with Jeffrey Madrick and William Milberg) Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) Policy Brief, April 2006.
- “New Labor Market Indicators Issue 2: Updated Trends Through the Second Quarter of 2005 and Alternative Measures of Low Pay” (with David Howell, Jeffrey Madrick, and Mamadou Diallo). Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) Policy Brief, January 2006.
- “Spurring Growth Dynamics from Services Offshoring” (with William Milberg, Markus Schneider and Rudi von Arnim). Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) Policy Brief, February 2006.
- “New Labor Market Indicators Underscore a Weak Economic Expansion” (with David Howell and Jeffrey Madrick). Policy Note. Center for American Progress. Washington, D.C., October 31, 2005.
- “New Labor Market Indicators, Issue I” (with David Howell and Jeffrey Madrick). Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) Policy Brief, September 2005.