Profile
Reed Watson is the Director of the Hayek Center for the Business of Prosperity and a Professor of Practice in the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University where he facilitates learning, but refuses to teach. At Clemson, he and his Hayek Center colleagues are dedicated to understanding how competition in the marketplace advances human flourishing, focusing in particular on healthcare and labor markets. He also coordinates the business professionalism curriculum in the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. Watson spent the first part of his career examining the economics of natural resource management, focusing on the legal institutions governing public lands, water, and wildlife resources. His writings have graced or disgraced the pages of several books, academic journals, and newspapers including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Only once did a reader care enough to send a death threat. Prior to joining Clemson University, Watson was Executive Director of the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in Bozeman, Montana. Prior to that, he built convenience stores, sold running shoes, and pedaled bicycles for money, but never at the same time. He is a 2004 graduate of Clemson University and a 2008 graduate of Duke University. With his wife, Kathryn, and sons, Ben and Sam, the Watson family calls Clemson home.
