Michael Karas
Posted in People
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Ph.D., Georgetown University
Research Interests:
- Industrial Organization
- Environmental and Energy Economics
- Economic History
About
Michael Karas is a recent Ph.D. graduate in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder. His research lies at the intersection of industrial organization, environmental and energy economics, and economic history, with a particular interest in how regulation and market structure shape the behavior of incumbent firms and the persistence of incumbent technologies.
Karas’ dissertation, “Regulating Natural Monopolies: Evidence from the Early American Utility Industry,” examines the roles of regulation and incumbent firms in the adoption of new technologies in the U.S. gas and electricity industries during the first half of the 20th century. Drawing on newly digitized historical data, his dissertation studies the emergence of state utility regulation and how regulatory institutions shaped incumbent firms’ decisions during major technological transitions, including the shift from manufactured to natural gas.
His current research includes projects on household demand for gas and electricity services in the early 20th century, the adoption and diffusion of block-rate pricing among early American utilities, and the efficiency of secondary markets for wireless spectrum.
Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Karas received his B.A. in economics and history from Vanderbilt University and his M.A. in applied economics from the University of Illinois Chicago before earning his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder. Outside of research, he is an avid cyclist who competes in amateur road and track races and enjoys playing the banjo.