Johnny Ducking
Associate Professor of Economics, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Hometown: Greenville, MS
BA in Economics & Math (2004)
MA in Economics (2006)
Dr. Ducking became interested in studying economics during his first economics class during the summer of 2001 when his Principles of Microeconomics professor made difficult economic concepts seem simple. He decided to change his major to economics and math after discussing the value of an economics degree with his Principles of Macroeconomics professor and other professors in the Department of Economics.
During his Master’s program at UM, Dr. Ducking’s Principles of Macroeconomics professor convinced him to attend the American Economic Association Summer Program at Duke University in 2005. This program helped him decide to pursue a Ph.D. in Economics instead of a law degree. Dr. Ducking was invited back to the program in 2007 to serve as a teaching assistant at Duke. During the summers of 2009 and 2010 he was invited to serve the program in a similar role when the program moved to the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Dr. Ducking was a scholarship member of the UM football team before injuring his ankle and becoming a student coach for the football team. He was also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and participated in the Reading with the Rebels program. He was selected to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, the Golden Key International Honour Society,Lambda Sigma National Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Academic All-SEC.
He joined the faculty of North Carolina A&T State University in the fall of 2011. During his time at North Carolina A&T State University he has been active on campus with service to students, fellow faculty members, and the institution. He served as advisor to the Aggie Economic Association and the Aggie Chess Club, many important campus committees, and was even the master of ceremony for the Aggie Student Leadership Awards committee. Dr. Ducking was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in July of 2017.
Dr. Ducking’s areas of expertise include labor economics, sports economics, and applied microeconomics, with a focus on discrimination and minimum salaries. Examples of his research topics include the impact of minimum pay scale on discrimination in professional sports and on career length in the NBA; identifying the role of sports in the integration of institutions of higher learning; and the influence of conference championships in college sports on college enrollment. He has also been producing research on math anxiety among students.
Why study economics in the world today?
Economics provides a framework to think critically about solving problems. Because economics involves studying how scarce resources are allocated and how individuals respond to incentives, the theories are beneficial to individuals in many professions. Economics majors have experienced success in the areas of consulting, market research, banking and finance, law, and politics. Economics majors have also experienced success in areas such as coaching in journalism due to their ability to think critically and use economic theory to support their positions. Bill Belichick and Bomani Jones are examples of successful economics majors in coaching and journalism. These two are examples that an economics degree can be useful in many different areas.