Florenz Plassmann

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Education

Ph.D., Economics, 1997, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

M.A., Economics, 1993, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Pre-Diploma (Vordiplom), Economics, 1990, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany

About Dr. Plassmann

Dr. Plassmann joined Ohio University in July 2019, after spending 20 years at Binghamton University, one of SUNY’s four research centers. At Binghamton, he served as Associate Dean of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, as department chair of the Economics Department, as director of the doctoral program in Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture, and as the inaugural faculty director of the Office of University-Wide Courses. He also served as program director of the Economics Program at the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Plassmann earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Tech in 1997 and holds faculty appointments as professor in the departments of economics and political science. His research interest is in collective decision making, and he has published scholarly articles in the areas of voting mechanisms, public choice, law and economics, urban economics, environmental economics, econometrics, computational general equilibrium models, as well as the history of economic thought. Dr. Plassmann has served on over 25 doctoral committees, and he is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s award for excellence in teaching.

Research Interests

Public Economics and Public Choice, Analyses of Voting, Statistics and Econometrics, Computable General Equilibrium models, Urban and Regional Economics, Environmental Economics, Ethics

Academic Experience

Professor, Departments of Economics and Political Science, Ohio University, since 2019

Professor, Department of Political Science, Binghamton University, 2018 - 2019

Professor, Department of Economics, Binghamton University, 2013 - 2019

Visiting Resident Scholar, International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC, January & July 2004, March 2005

Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Binghamton University, 2005 - 2013

Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 1999 - 2005

Research Associate, Department of Economics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 1997 - 1999

Administrative Experience

Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Ohio University, since 2019

Associate Dean, Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Binghamton University, 2015 - 2019

Director, PhD Program in Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture, 2017 - 2019

Faculty Director, Office of University-Wide Courses, Binghamton University, 2014 - 2015

Department Chair, Department of Economics, Binghamton University, 2013 - 2015

Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Harpur College, Binghamton University, 2012 - 2013

Program Director/Economics, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC, 2009 - 2010

Editorial Board

Associate editor, Economics Bulletin, 2012 - 2019

Publications

Journal Publications

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. 2019.Revelation mechanisms and allocative efficiency. Forthcoming in Economic Inquiry.

William Gehrlein, Dominique Lepelley, and Florenz Plassmann. 2018. An evaluation of the benefit of using two-stage election procedures. Homo Oeconomicus, 35:1, 53-79.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2018. The effects of changes in land value on the value of buildings. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 69, 69-76.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2017. Efficient bilateral taxation of externalities. Public Choice 173:1, 109-130.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2017. Efficient collective decision-making, marginal cost pricing, and quadratic voting. Public Choice, 172:1-2, 45-73.

William Gehrlein, Dominique Lepelley, and Florenz Plassmann. 2016. Further support for ranking candidates in an election. Group Decision and Negotiation, 25:5, 941-966.

William Gehrlein, Dominique Lepelley, and Florenz Plassmann. 2016. Should voters be required to rank candidates in an election? Social Choice and Welfare, 46:4, 707-747.

Florenz Plassmann and Andrew Feltenstein. 2016. How large do multi-region models need to be? Journal of Policy Modeling, 38, 138-155.

Jeffrey Condon, Andrew Feltenstein, Florenz Plassmann, Mark Rider, David Sjoquist. 2015. A multiregional model of growth oriented state tax reforms: An application to Georgia and five comparison states. The Review of Regional Studies 44:2, 177-209.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2015. Sources of public revenue that make nations richer. Economic Affairs 35:2, 197-214.

William Gehrlein and Florenz Plassmann. 2014. A comparison of theoretical and empirical valuations of the Borda Compromise. Social Choice and Welfare 43, 747-772.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2014. Which voting rule is most likely to choose the best option? Public Choice 158, 331-357.

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. 2014. How frequently do different voting rules encounter voting paradoxes in three-candidate elections? Social Choice and Welfare 42, 1, 31-75.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2013. Developing the aggregate empirical side of social choice. Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence 68:31-64.

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. 2011. Marginal Cost Pricing and Eminent Domain. Foundations and Trends in Microeconomics 7:1, 1-110.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2010. Pricing externalities. European Journal of Political Economy 26:2, 176-184.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2008. Paying the partners. Public Choice, 136:1-2, 19-37.

Andrew Feltenstein and Florenz Plassmann. 2008. The welfare analysis of a free trade zone: Intermediate goods and the Asian tigers. World Economy 31:7, 905-924. Supplement to this paper.

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. 2008. Accurate valuation in the absence of markets. Public Finance Review 36:3, 334-358.

Florenz Plassmann and Neha Khanna, 2007. Assessing the precision of turning point estimates in polynomial regression functions. Econometric Reviews 26:5, 503-528.

Neha Khanna and Florenz Plassmann, 2007. Total factor productivity and the environmental Kuznets curve: A comment and some intuition. Ecological Economics 63:1, 54-58.

Florenz Plassmann and Neha Khanna. 2006. A note on 'The simple analytics of the environmental Kuznets curve.' Environment and Development Economics 11, 697-707.

Florenz Plassmann and Neha Khanna. 2006. Preferences, income and the environment: Understanding the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 88:3, 632-643.

Florenz Plassmann and Neha Khanna. 2006. Household income and pollution: Implications for the debate about the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. Journal of Environment and Development 15:1, 1-19. Supplement to this paper.

Florenz Plassmann. 2005. The advantage of avoiding the Armington assumption in multi-region models. Regional Science and Urban Economics 35:6, 777-794.

T. NicolausTideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2005. Fair and efficient compensation for taking property under uncertainty. Journal of Public Economic Theory 7:3, 471-495.

Neha Khanna and Florenz Plassmann. 2004. The demand for environmental quality and the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. Ecological Economics 51: 225-236.

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. 2004. Frank Knight's proposal to end distinctions among factors of production and his objection to the Single Tax. History of Political Economy 36:3, 507-521.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2004. Knight: Nemesis from the Chicago School. American Journal of Economics and Sociology 63:2, 541-569.
Reprinted in: Bob Andelson (ed.), Critics of Henry George: An Appraisal of Their Strictures on Progress and Poverty (2nd revised edition), Blackwell, 541-569.

Florenz Plassmann and John Whitley. 2003. Confirming more guns, less crime. Stanford Law Review, April 2003, 55: (4), 1313-1370.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2003. The gains from taxing land." Geophilos 3: (1), 56-60.

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. 2001. Does the right to carry concealed handguns deter countable crimes? Only a count analysis can say. Journal of Law and Economics 44:2 (pt.2), 771-798. Unpublished Technical Appendix for this paper.

Florenz Plassmann. 2001. General equilibrium analysis and tax policy analysis. Geophilos 1: (1), 151-156.

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. 2000. A Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis of the impact of two-rate property taxes on construction. Journal of Urban Economics 47:2, 216-247.

Book Chapters

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2019. Utilitarianism as a Criterion for State Action. In: Roger D. Congleton, Bernard N. Grofman, and Stefan Voigt (eds.) Oxford Handbook of Public Choice, Vol 1. Oxford University Press, pp.764 - 778.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2015. Managing water use during droughts of unknown duration. In: Helge Peukert (ed.) Taking up the Challenge: Festschrift for Jϋrgen Backhaus Metropolis-Verlag, 189 - 210.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2012. Modeling the Outcomes of Vote-casting in Actual Elections. In: Dan Felsenthal and Moshé Machover (eds) Electoral Systems: Paradoxes, Assumptions, and Procedures, New York: Springer, 217 - 251.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 1998. Taxed out of Work and Wealth. in: Fred Harrison (ed.), The Losses of Nations: Deadweight Politics versus Public Rent Dividends, London: Othila Press, 146-174.

Working Papers

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. How to assess the frequency of voting paradoxes and strategic voting opportunities in actual elections. 

• A condensed version of the ideas in this paper has been published in T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. Developing the aggregate empirical side of social choice. Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence 68:31-64.

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. Providing incentives for efficient land assembly.

Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. Applying Marginal Cost Pricing: Efficiency and Fairness in Takings and Land Assembly, and Accuracy in Assessment, All in One Fell Swoop.

• The ideas in these two papers have been published in Florenz Plassmann and T. Nicolaus Tideman. 2011. Marginal Cost Pricing and Eminent Domain. Foundations and Trends in Microeconomics 7:2, 99-209.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. Partners, associates, and shareholders: Strategy-proof determination of their relative returns.

T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. A framework for assessing the value of downtown land.

• Parts of the framework have been published in T. Nicolaus Tideman and Florenz Plassmann. 2018. The effects of changes in land value on the value of buildings. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 69, 69-76. Supplement to this paper.

Florenz Plassmann and John R. Lott, Jr. More readers of gun magazines, but not more crimes.

Dissertation

Title: "The Impact of Two-Rate Taxes on Construction in Pennsylvania"

Department of Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, June 1997

Advisor: T. N. Tideman

External Funding

NEH Next Generation Humanities PhD Planning Grant, 2016, $25,000

Awards

2006-2007 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, State University of New York, Fall 2007.

Daniel J. Hoffman Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Binghamton University, Department of Economics, Spring 2003.

Dean's Research Semester Award, Binghamton University, Department of Economics, Spring 2003.

Teaching

Binghamton University, 1999 - 2019

Undergraduate

• Econ 160, Principles of Microeconomics (Spring 14, Fall 11, 12, 13, 15)
• Plsc 389Y, Collective Decisions and Voting (Spring 19)
• Econ 426, History of Economic Thought (Fall 07, 08, 10, Spring 00, 01, 02, 04, 05, 06, 11, 12, 13, 15)
• Econ 430, Urban Economics (Spring 00, 01, 02, 04)
• Econ 445, Public Expenditures and Public Choice (Fall 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 06, 10, 11, 14, Spring 05, 06, 08, 09, 12)
• Econ 447, Collective Decisions (Spring 17, 18)

Graduate

• Econ 615, Economic Statistics (Fall 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, Spring 08, 09)
• Econ 636, Public Revenues (Fall 05, 07, Spring 11)
• Econ 694, PhD Seminar (Fall 08, Spring 09, 11)

Summary of my teaching evaluations from Binghamton University (PDF)

International Monetary Fund, 2007 - 2008

• Joint Vienna Institute (Vienna, Austria), Courses on Macroeconomic Management and Fiscal Policy Issues (April 23 - May 4, 2007; February 18 - 28, 2008)
• Joint China-IMF Training Program (Dalian, China), Course on Macroeconomic Management and Financial Sector Issues (July 9 - 20, 2007)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994 - 1999
(Instructor of record of all classes)

• Principles of Macroeconomics (Summer 94, Spring 94, 98, 99, Fall 96, 97, 98)
• Principles of Microeconomics (Fall 94)
• Urban Economics (Spring 97)
• International Trade (Summer 95)
• Open Economy Macroeconomics (Summer 98)

Summary of my teaching evaluations from Virginia Tech (PDF)