Michael Cox

W. Michael Cox serves as Executive in Residence at the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom. Cox directed the O'Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom at SMU Cox from 2008-2015.

Dr. Cox is formerly Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where he served for 25 years advising the President on monetary and other economic policies.  He holds the unique distinction of being the Federal Reserve System's only Chief Economist in history.

Cox is widely published in the nation's leading business press, Fed publications and academic journals.  He is the author of numerous op ed articles for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Financial Times, and Investor's Business Daily; and his work has appeared in virtually every major newspaper and magazine worldwide.

Dr. Cox co-authored the Fed's acclaimed series of annual report essays on capitalism, globalization, and American living standards.  He has contributed to a number of public policy issues, and his research is frequently designated as required reading for Congress.

Dr. Cox has comprehensively documented American progress and its delivery mechanism-free markets.  Looking at multiple aspects of living standards, he proves that capitalism is far and away the economic system that best provides for the progress of nations.  He battles economic doomsayers and capitalism's enemies with his book, Myths of Rich and Poor: Why We're Better Off Than We Think.

The media rely on Dr. Cox's ability to make plain sense out of difficult economic issues.  He is a frequent guest on national radio, television and Internet programs, including ABC's John Stossel program, CNN, Fox News, ReasonTV, Voice of America, National Public Radio and BizRadio.

He is Past President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education, a CATO Institute Adjunct Scholar, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, Senior Fellow at the Dallas Fed's Globalization and Monetary Policy Institute, and a Distinguished Scholar of his undergraduate alma mater Hendrix College.  His thirty four years of university teaching include Virginia Tech, the University of Rochester and Southern Methodist University. 

Cox is President and CEO of W. Michael Cox and Associates, LLP, a Dallas-based private consulting group.  He lives in Dallas with his wife Maria and daughter McKenna.