Academics

Meet the Faculty

Michael Shires, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Policy

Office: School of Public Policy (SPP)
Phone: (310) 506-7692
Fax: (310) 506-7494
E-mail: michael.shires@pepperdine.edu

• Ph.D., Public Policy Analysis, RAND Graduate School
• M.Phil, Policy Analysis, RAND Graduate School
• M.B.A., Economics, University of California, Los Angeles
• B.A., Economics, University of California, Los Angeles

Michael Shires is an associate professor of public policy. He previously was a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and a doctoral fellow at RAND's Graduate School of Policy Studies, concentrating on domestic education policy, California fiscal policy, and international trade policy.

His works in higher education include: "Alternative Approaches to Funding Higher Education in California," "The Future of Public Undergraduate Education in California," and "The Redesign of Governance in Higher Education." His state and local finance titles include: "The Development of Counties as Municipal Governments: A Case Study of Los Angeles County in the 21st Century," "The Effects of the California Voucher Initiative on Public Expenditures for Education," "A Review of Local Government Revenue Data in California, Has Proposition 13 Delivered?", "The Changing Tax Burden in California," and "Patterns in California State and Local Government Revenues Since Proposition 13." He has also co-authored work on United States-Japan and United States-European community trade relations.

His primary areas of teaching and research include state, regional, and local policy; technology and democracy; higher education policy; strategic, political, and organizational issues in public policy; and quantitative analysis.

Shires has been active as a consultant to local and state government on issues related to finance, education policy, and governance. He received his BA in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), his MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and his M. Phil. and PhD in public policy analysis from the RAND Graduate School.

Courses:

• MPP 625 Public Finance and Public Choice
• MPP 685 The Financing of Local and Regional Government
• MPP 604 Political, Organizational, and Strategic Aspects of Public Policy
• MPP 607.04 Policy Seminar: Disaster Relief in Faith Communities

Academic Interests:

• California Fiscal Policy
• Domestic Education Policy
• Higher Education and State and Local Finance
• International Trade Policy

Selected Links:

• Professor Shires' Website
• VITA