Carlos Liard-Muriente

I am a Professor of Economics at Central Connecticut State University, where my research and teaching connect industrial organization, entrepreneurship, behavioral economics, and technological change. My work examines how incentives, information, expectations, and institutional environments influence the decisions of firms, consumers, and policymakers.

My research combines economic theory and empirical analysis to study small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation, financial constraints, managerial decisions, and gender differences in entrepreneurship. Using firm-level data, including World Bank Enterprise Surveys, I investigate how business environments and organizational characteristics shape firm performance across different national and institutional settings.

Collaboration has been an important part of my academic work at Central Connecticut State University. With Dr. Samantha Schenck, I have examined small-business development, entrepreneurship, and the role of technology in economic education. My work with Dr. Christina Robinson has explored how writing, quantitative reasoning, and instructional technology can strengthen the teaching and learning of economics. I am currently collaborating with Dr. Paramita Dhar on research examining differences between parent-reported and clinically measured childhood obesity estimates in major U.S. national surveys, with particular attention to measurement, survey comparability, and the interpretation of public health trends.

My current research also examines personalized pricing, imperfect information, digital competition, and consumer welfare, alongside the economic consequences of artificial intelligence adoption, organizational adjustment, and differences in firm-level productivity.

I maintain an active interest in economic education and higher education, including the teaching of economic theory, the use of technology in the classroom, and the institutional challenges facing colleges and universities. My teaching spans introductory and intermediate economics, behavioral economics, international economics, and applied economic analysis.

At Central Connecticut State University, I have previously served as Chair of the Department of Economics and Assistant to the Dean of the Carol A. Ammon College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. I was also recently selected for the Honor Roll of the university’s 2026–2027 Excellence in Teaching Award.

In the classroom and in public discussion, I emphasize critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and the practical relevance of economic reasoning. Economics should help us understand how the world works, and how it might work better.