C. Justin Cook

C. Justin Cook is an Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the M.A. Program in Political Economy with a Data Analytics Emphasis, as well as a faculty member of The Murphy Institute.

His research focuses on understanding long-running, persistent patterns in economic growth and development. In doing so, he has examined historical, cultural differences that are observed in the genes of contemporary populations—a prime example being lactose tolerance. Cook's current work focuses on understanding the persistence of populations and economic output from the historical locations of past civilizations and explores the aggregate impacts of redistributive policies, particularly in India. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Louisiana State University and was an assistant/associate professor at the University of California, Merced before joining Tulane University.