Matt Ryan is Assistant Professor of Economics at Duquesne University. He received his Ph.D. in economics from West Virginia University, and he has been Associate Fellow at the Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia, Ken & Randy Kendrick Fellow at West Virginia University, and Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. His articles have appeared in such journals as The Independent Review, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Journal of Private Enterprise, and California Labor and Employment Review. He is co-editor (with R. Sobel and J. Hall) of the book, Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity Stops at the West Virginia Border, and How to Fix It, that won the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award.