Paul Sommers, PhD

Professor of Economics
Professor of Public Service
Founder of the Center for Metropolitan Studies

PhD, Economics, Yale University, 1978
BA, University of California at Berkeley, 1972

Phone:  206.296.6967

Office:  Casey 200W

Email:  sommersp@seattleu.edu

Department: 

Web Address: http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/sommersp/WEB/

Teaching Areas:  Public Policy, Economics

In the News:

Paul Sommers was featured in the Seattle P-I, Senate OKs $350 million bill for health research, published on March 12, 2005.

Paul Sommers was featured in the KCTS Serious Money, "Serious Money Roundtable: Economic Recovery in the Northwest," published on January 7, 2005.

Paul Sommers was featured in the Washington CEO, "Cover Story: Full Sail Ahead?," published on December 2004 edition.

Paul Sommers was featured in the Washington CEO, "Trends: Washington Barometer," published on December 2004 edition.

Paul Sommers was featured in the Washington CEO, "Bankings Reluctant Bride," published on November 2004 edition.

Paul Sommers was featured in the Magic Valley Times-News, "Insuring a better future is an issue in high school sports," published on November 27, 2004.

Paul Sommers was featured in the Seattle Times, "State jobless rate stuck despite pickup in work," published on November 17, 2004.

Paul Sommers was featured in the Seattle Times, "Region again hears sound of building boom," published on November 8,2004.

The same story was also published in:

First Associate News, "Seattle-area cities report flood of building-permit requests," November 9, 2004
Blackenterprise.com, "Seattle-area cities report flood of building-permit requests," November 8, 2004

Paul Sommers was featured in the Seattle Times, "State jobless rate stuck despite pickup in work," published on November 17, 2004.

Paul Sommers was featured in the KING 5 News Upfront, "Election Countdown: Four issues that matter," aired on October 24, 2004.

Paul Sommers was featured in the Seattle Times, "State short on "living-wage" jobs," published on September 24, 2004.

Paul Sommers was featured in the Yorkton Securities, "Wage study points to an Idaho 'job gap'," published on September 24, 2004.

Same story was published in:

The Twin Falls Times-News, "Study Points to a 'job gap' in Idaho," September 24, 2004.

Paul Sommers was quoted in The Missoulian, "Groups put focus on lack of living wage jobs," published on September 24, 2004.

Paul Sommers was featured in an article in the Rockford Register Star, April 19, 2004, "Manufacturing networks foster dreams of big projects, profits."

Professional History:

A graduate of Yale University (Ph.D., economics, 1978) and of the University of California at Berkeley (B.A., 1972), he was for many years Director of the Northwest Policy Center at the University of Washington's Graduate School of Public Affairs. Previously, he was a Research Scientist and an Associate Director at the Battelle Human Affairs Research Centers, focusing on renewable energy and nuclear safety issues. 

His areas of expertise are economic trends, community and economic development, and workforce education. He is currently working on a model to predict the fiscal impacts of major neighborhood development projects (contracted by the City of Seattle) and on technology-based, economic development strategies (contracted by The Brookings Institution).

Dr. Sommers' scholarly record is extensive, with over 120 articles, book chapters, and reports, as well as over 40 invited conference presentations. His articles have been published in refereed journals (e.g., Journal of Policy Analysis and Management; The Bell Journal of Economics; Policy Studies Review; Energy Systems and Policy; Journal of Contemporary Business). His most recent writings include:

"The compleat policy analyst: A top ten list." Public Administration Review, September/October 2005, Vol. 65, No. 5, 628-634 (with Russell Lidman).

"The ecological footprint of Seattle and Vancouver." Chapter in Planning Metropolitan Landscapes: Concepts, Demands, and Approaches, Gunter Tress et. al. (Eds.), DELTA Series 4, Waginingen, The Netherlands, 2004.

"The ecological footprint of Seattle and Vancouver." Chapter in Planning Metropolitan Landscapes: Concepts, Demands, and Approaches, Gunter Tress et. al. (Eds.), DELTA Series 4, Waginingen, The Netherlands, 2004.

"Monitoring the Community Impacts of the Northwest Forest Plan," in Society and Natural Resources (17(3), 223-233, March 2004)(with J.E. Jackson and R.G. Lee).

"Potential economic and fiscal impacts of South Lake Union re-development," 2003, report commissioned by the City of Seattle Office of Policy and Management on the planned bio-tech development in that area.

"The drivers for a successful technology-based economy: Benchmarking Washington's performance," 2003, report contracted by the Washington Technology Alliance.

"What the IT revolution means for regional economic development," 2003, report contracted by The Brookings Institution's Center for Urban and Metropolitan Studies.

"Seattle's maritime cluster: Trends and policy issues," 2003, report contracted by the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development.

His professional service includes: Member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors in Washington; past President of the Seattle Economists Club; Editorial Board of the Northwest Journal of Business and Economics; and Board member, Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference.

Dr. Sommers' joint appointment in A&S (.66FTE) and in Albers (.33FTE) is intended to help advance the third prong of Seattle University's 3-pronged strategic aspiration: (1) "A great" university (academic excellence), (2) "a Jesuit Catholic" university (mission-oriented), and (3) a university "of the Northwest" (research and education in service to the Northwest). He will establish and direct Seattle University's new Center for Metropolitan Studies, based in IPS and operated in collaboration with the Albers School. The Center will do applied research on economic and policy issues of importance to the Puget Sound region. The research may involve collaborations with other SU faculty, and it will certainly provide research opportunities for SU undergraduate and graduate students. The work of the Center will be supported entirely by external grants and contract, for which he has an established track record.

Dr. Sommers will teach courses in public policy as well as in economics. In addition to teaching, research, and directing the new Center, he will also be responsible for the Albers Forum, a program we will resurrect from the past that brings noted business, civic, and community leaders to campus for presentations. He is already working with a group of Albers faculty as part of an IT outsourcing research grant project.