Paige Marta Skiba, professor of law and economics, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Law and Economics Association for a three-year term.
Founded in 1991, the American Law and Economics Association is dedicated to the advancement of economic understanding of law and related areas of public policy and regulation. Its members include academics, economists and practicing lawyers. The ALEA holds an annual meeting in May at which members present papers and publishes the American Law and Economics Review, a refereed journal. The association established the Ronald H. Coase Medal, awarded biannually in recognition of major contributions to the field of law and economics, in 2010.
Skiba has conducted innovative research in the area of behavioral law and economics and commercial law, particularly on topics related to her economics dissertation, Behavior in High-Interest Credit Markets. Her current research focuses on the causes and consequences of borrowing on high-interest credit, such as payday loans, auto-title loans, and pawnshops, as well as the regulation of these industries. She has been the recipient of numerous research grants and fellowships from institutions such as the National Science Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, the National Institute on Aging, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the Burch Center for Tax Policy and Public Finance, and the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy.
Skiba earned her Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2007. She teaches Bankruptcy and Behavioral Law and Economics to J.D. students. She also teaches Law and Economics, Behavioral Law and Economics, and Econometrics for Legal Research in the Ph.D. Program in Law and Economics.