Abstract:
This study applies the methodology of a recent study that ranks economics departments at national universities in the U.S. South to economics faculties at regional universities in the same geographic location. Ranking results from a “core” (i.e., the top five faculty researchers) of each institution's economics faculty reveals that Appalachian State University, James Madison University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Trinity University and Loyola University – New Orleans currently maintain the top five economics faculties, respectively, among the approximately 200 regional universities in the U.S. South.
Citation: Mixon, Franklin G., and Kamal Upadhyaya. "Out of Big Brother's Shadow: Ranking Economics Faculties at Regional Universities in the US South''." Economics Bulletin 36, no. 3 (2016): 1609-1615. http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2016/Volume36/EB-16-V36-I3-P158.pdf
Footnote 9 says:
Appalachian State is known by many in the U.S. South (and beyond) as what Nobel Laureate George Stigler would refer to as an academic beehive in terms of environmental and resource economics (Stigler, 1985).
Here are the rankings:
