Department of Economics

College of William & Mary
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795

Office:    Tyler 266  
Phone:    (757) 221-2372  
Email:    dhfeld@wm.edu 
Fax:       (757) 221-1175

Education 
A. B., Kenyon College, 1978
Ph. D., Duke University, 1982

Current Courses:

• Economics 475, International Trade: Theory and Policy (Syllabus)
• Economics 458, Seminar on the Economics of Higher Education
• International Relations 300, IR in Disciplinary Perspective (Syllabus)

Personal Profile:

I grew up in south Florida. After high school, I wandered off to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.  I thoroughly enjoyed the small-college, liberal arts education that I received from the dedicated teacher scholars at that school. I then spent four years at Duke University completing my M.A. and Ph. D. in economics. My first teaching position was at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. I came to William and Mary in 1989.

My teaching is broken into two specialties. The first is the economics, politics and history of the international economy. I offer courses on international trade, economic integration, and international relations. Since most of my scholarly efforts are now devoted to higher education, I am also offering a senior seminar in the economics of higher education.

My early research was in the fields of international trade and economic development. Most of this work was about the causes and consequences of global economic integration. Some of my future work may well return to these themes. Over the last decade, however, my professional writing has gravitated toward issues in higher education. Much of this work is co-authored with Robert Archibald. Our new book, titled The Road Ahead for America's Colleges and Universities is a good example of that collaboration.  

You can check out my higher education blog here: 

I live in Williamsburg with my wife Susan. My eldest son finished an undergraduate degree at the University of Miami and is hard at work on a masters degree at New Mexico Tech, so my understanding of higher education has a personal component! We also share our house with three cats, who are the real owners.

In addition to economics, I have a passion for classical music. You can learn a bit more about this interest/hobby of mine on my PIANO PAGE. 

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My recent books:

The Road Ahead for America's Colleges & Universities, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.

Why does College Cost so Much?   Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.

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Recent Articles:

• Does Federal Aid Drive College Tuition? Regulation, 39 (2), Summer 2016, 12-18.
• A Quality-Preserving Increase in Four-Year College Attendance, Journal of Human Capital, 9 (3), Fall 2015, 265-297. With Robert B. Archibald and Peter McHenry. 
• The Anatomy of College Tuition, American Council on Education, April 2012. With Robert B. Archibald.
• Are Plush Dorms and Fancy Food Plans Important Drivers of College Cost? Change Magazine, with Robert B. Archibald, (Jan-Feb 2011), 31-37.

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Selected Op-Ed and Commentary Articles

• It's Time to Change the Conversations on Majors and Income, Inside Higher Education, June 26, 2017.
• This State's Free College Plan Won't Actually Send More Kids to College, Fortune, April 16, 2017.
• Why Debt-Free College Will Not Solve the Problems in America's Higher Education System, The Conversation, July 11, 2016.
• Why Bernie Sanders's Free College Plan Doesn't Make Sense, Washington Post (Grade Point), April 22, 2016.
• Getting the Facts Right about Higher Education Prices, Washington Post (Grade Point), May 11, 2015.