C. Luke Watson

Center for Financial Research Phone: (757) 537 - 0991 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Email: chwatson@fdic.gov

Washington, D.C. Research: clukewatson.github.io

Research Interests

Public Economics, Urban Economics, Industrial Organization 

Tax Incidence, Imperfect Information, Bank Branching, Online Bank Competition 

Employment

Senior Financial Economist, Center for Financial Research, FDIC Aug 2023 

Financial Economist, Center for Financial Research, FDIC Aug 2021 - Aug 2023 

Education

Ph.D. Economics, Michigan State University 2015 - 2021 

M.A. Economics, Old Dominion University 2013 - 2015 

B.A. Economics, Old Dominion University 2009 - 2013 

Research

“The General Equilibrium Incidence of the Earned Income Tax Credit” 2021 

“Is the Rent Too High: Land Ownership and Monopoly Power” (with O.Ziv) 2022 

“Estimating Supply & Demand Elasticities Using a Single Tax Rate with GE Spillovers” 2021 

“The Local Labor Market E ̇ects of State EITC Supplements” In Progress

“Who Goes to Work with the EITC?” (with B. VanderBerg) In Stasis

“The Earned Income Tax Credit with Binding Minimum Wages” In Stasis

“What Does an EITC DiD Estimate?” In Stasis

“Where You Start Work Depends on Where You Finish School” (with H.Gabriel) In Stasis

Prior Employment

Instructor : Development Economics (Michigan State University) Fall 2020 

Instructor : Principles of Microeconomics (Old Dominion University) Summer 2015 

TA : (MSU) Public Revenues, Ec. of Poverty & Income, Int’l Trade (x4), Urban Econ (x3) 

Interm.Micro, Intro.Micro, Intro.Macro 2015-2020 

TA : (AEASP) Foundations Microeconomics and Mathematics Summer 2017 

RA : (MSU) Oren Ziv, Prabhat Barnwal, (ODU) Gary Wagner, Tim Komarek 2013-2020 

Barista : Starbucks 2009-2015 

Presentations

2023: Mid-Atlantic Trade Workshop. 2022: AREUEA / ASSA, AREUEA Nat’l, NTA, UEA (USA). 

2021: UEA (Europe). 2020: Ohio University, MVEA, NTA. 2019: NTA. 
C. Luke Watson 2 

Service

FDIC - CFR Seminar Coordinator 2022-2024 

FDIC - Reader for FDIC Consumer Research Symposium 2022 

Michigan State University - Applied Economics Student Workshop Organizer 2017-2020 

Michigan State University - Graduate Student Seminar Organizer 2018-2020 

Michigan State University - Graduate Instruction Committee 2017-2018 

Old Dominion University - Ad Hoc Committee on Birthday Singing 2013-2015 

Projects

FDIC - Options for Deposit Insurance Reform 2023 

FDIC - Literature Review on Digital Currencies and Financial Stability 2022 

Referee

Contemporary Economic Policy, International Tax and Public Finance, Journal of Real Estate Finance and 

Economics, Public Finance Review 

Awards and Grants

Dissertation Completion Fellowship (MSU) 2020 

Outstanding Graduate Economics Student Award (ODU) 2015 

Graduate Student Tuition Fellowship (ODU) 2013-2015 

Constant Dominion Business Student Merit Scholarship (ODU) 2013 

Town-N-Gown Scholarship (ODU) 2013 

Governor’s Technology Tuition Scholarship (ODU) 2009-2013 

Time Magazine Person of the Year (shared) 2006 

Memberships

American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, National Tax Association 

Skills

Strong: R, Stata, Matlab, Julia. Passing: Python, Gauss. Weak: ArcGIS, SAS. 

Last updated: September 7, 2023