The host and moderator for the Arkansas Economist is Dr. Michael Pakko, Chief Economist and State Economic Forecaster at the Institute for Economic Advancement at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Pakko received his B.A. from Michigan State University in 1984 and a PhD from the University of Rochester in 1994.

Before moving to Little Rock in 2009, Dr. Pakko spent 16 years as a research economist and officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where he published research on a variety of topics, including international trade, economic growth, macroeconomics, and public policy. After drifting into the study of regional economics, Dr. Pakko found himself in Arkansas, tasked with providing his analysis of the state’s macroeconomic conditions and outlook.

In addition to his other research responsibilities at AEDI, Dr. Pakko co-hosts an annual Arkansas Economic Forecast Conference (with the Little Rock Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), and he is an adjunct instructor in the UALR School of Business.