FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In a complex area like economics, it is sometimes difficult to know which expert opinions to value. But other economists know, and they cite these experts in their own writings. Two economics professors in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, have been were listed cited in a recently paper as among in the top two percent of economists in the world based on their research and publications between 1990 and 2000. by the European Economics Association.

Gary D. Ferrier, holder of the Lewis E. Epley, Jr. Professorshipprofessor of economics, was recognized for the number of citations his research has received in other economists’ publications. Amy Farmer, associate professor of economics, cracked the top two percent was recognized for the number of articles she published from 1990 to 2000.

The paper, sponsored by the European Economics Association, ranks the top 1000 economists (out of 54,998) in terms of number of publications and citations from a list of journals indexed in the American Economic Association’s Journal of Economic Literature.

Joe Ziegler, chair of the Walton College economics department and director of International Programssaid, "These are remarkable accomplishments, especially since this recognition covers the international community of economists," said Joe Ziegler, chair of the Walton College economics department and director of International Programs. "Not only are Gary and Amy producing relevant and leading-edge research, but also they are exemplary teachers for our students." ."

Ferrier also was determined by the Social Science Citation Index to be one of the 1,200 most frequently cited economists over the decade 1990-2000. He will be included in the fourth edition of "Who’s Who in Economics," which is published by Edward Elgar Publishing.

Farmer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Purdue University and a Master of Arts degree and a doctorate in economics from Duke University. She joined the University of Arkansas in 1999 and received the Walton College Faculty Research award in 2000.

Her research is in the areas of law and economics and the economics of the family. She applies game theory to study and analyze topics in law and economics, particularly in the areas of family issues and domestic violence. For example, a recent study looked at the role asymmetric information plays in generating impasses to settlement in a bargaining situation such as a custody arrangement in a divorce.

She has also studied impact of domestic violence on the workplace. Her research has determined that domestic violence has a significant negative impact on business profitability. Contrary to popular belief, Farmer’s research shows that abused women are actually over-represented in the workforce. Conservatively, she estimates that the losses directly attributable to domestic violence cost U.S. businesses more than $192 million each year.

Farmer also conducts research on the effect of environmental regulations on corporate profits. She has published articles in the Economic Journal, Journal of Legal Studies, Public Choice, Journal of Development Economics, Economic Inquiry, Ecological Economics, and International Review of Law and Economics.

Ferrier holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a doctorate in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to the University of Arkansas, he has taught in North Carolina, Texas, Italy and Malaysia. He joined the Walton College in 1993. His primary teaching responsibilities have been in the areas of econometrics, which is focuses on a debate about alternative approaches and encourages reporting of new developments in the field of economics. He also teaches an innovative managerial economics course, which focuses on the economics of management - how to efficiently coordinate and motivate people's actions within an organization.

He has published referred articles in numerous journals such as, Journal of Econometrics, Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Monetary Economics, Energy Journal, Journal of Agricultural Economics and European Journal of Operational Research. One of his articles on frontier efficiency measurement was recently recognized as among the most 10 influential articles in the field. It has been cited in publications that over a wide range of disciplines such as accounting, operations research, regional science, management science, finance, and economics.

In 1992 Ferrier received a Fulbright research award to study the effects of European economic unification in the financial services sector of the Italian economy. He received a Worthen Banking research award to study productivity change in the U.S. banking industry in 1994. In 1995, he received the CBA's Phillips Petroleum Outstanding Research award.

Ferrier took an off campus assignment with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C., during 2000.

Farmer holds a BS in mathematics from Purdue University and an MA and a PhD in economics from Duke University. She joined the University of Arkansas in 1999. She received the Walton College Faculty Research award in 2000. Her research is in the areas of law and economics and the economics of the family. Her recent publications in the law and economics area have used game-theoretic analyses to study the role that asymmetric information might play in generating impasses to settlement in a bargaining situation. In addition, her work applies these theories of bargaining to the family in order to study issues such as domestic violence, divorce, and child custody. In addition she conducts research on the effect of environmental regulations on corporate profit. She has published articles in the Economic Journal, Journal of Legal Studies, Public Choice, Journal of Development Economics, Economic Inquiry, Ecological Economics, and International Review of Law and Economics.