RESEARCH AND ADMINISTRATIVE WORK

Dr. Murray holds a joint appointment with the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and the Department of Economics at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  He served as Department Head of Economics from 1997 to 2002 and Director of Graduate Studies from 2002 to 2007.  He is currently the Ball Corporation Professor of Business in the College of Business Administration, associate director of CBER, program director for the Public Administration Major in the Economics Department, and Baker Center Faculty Associate.  His research interests include state and local tax policy, education finance, tax compliance, and regional economic development.  Dr. Murray is a member of the National Tax Association and the American Economics Association.

Dr. Murray's work in CBER includes maintenance of the state econometric forecasting model that supports the annual Economic Report to the Governor and the quarterly Tennessee Business and Economic Outlook.  He has worked closely with state and local governments on a wide range of public policy issues including economic development incentives, economic/fiscal impact analysis, tax policy analysis, education finance reform, and transportation infrastructure finance.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

"The SSTP and Technology:  Implications for the Future of the Sales Tax" (with Leann Luna and William F. Fox).  National Tax Journal LXI (2008): 823-842.

"Can States and Localities Export Their Tax Burdens?"  State Tax Notes 51 No. 1 (January 5, 2009): 25-30.

"Interactions Between Welfare Caseloads and Local Labor Markets" (with Brian Hill).  Contemporary Economic Policy 26 (2008): 539-54.

"What Factors Influence the Structure of the State Income Tax?" (with Jason Fletcher).  Public Finance Review 36 (2008): 475-96.

"State Business Tax Policy: More of the Same or Fundamental Change?" (with William F. Fox and Leann Luna).  State Tax Notes 44 No. 6 (May 7, 2007): 393-406.

"Demographics, Competition and State Tax Progressivity," (with Jason Fletcher), Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the National Tax Association, Boston, MA, November 2006. (Forthcoming.) (Also published in State Tax Notes.)

"The Effect of State Grants, ARC Grants and CDB Grants on County-Level Economic Growth (with Laura Ullrich), Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the National Tax Association, Miami, Florida, November 2005. (Forthcoming.)

"Competition Over the Tax Base: The State Sales Tax" (with Jason Fletcher).  Public Finance Review 34 (2006): 258-281.

"Interstate Tax Uniformity and the Multistate Tax Commission" (with David Sjoquist and Bartley Hildreth).  National Tax Journal LVIII (2005): 575-590.

"A National Retail Sales Tax: Consequences for the States" (with William F. Fox).  State Tax Notes 37 (July 25, 2005): 287-304. (Also published in a Special Supplement of State Tax Notes 38 (October 3, 2005): 17-34.)

"How Should a Subnational Corporate Income Tax on Multistate Businesses Be Structured?" (with William F. Fox and LeAnn Luna), National Tax Journal LVIII (2005): 139-159.