Richard Hawkins, Ph.D.

Dr.  Richard R. Hawkins, a Professor with a Ph.D. in Economics, has conducted research on a variety of national and local issues.

Hawkins’s peer-refereed research has been published in Applied Economics, Journal of Internet Commerce, National Tax Journal, and Public Finance Review. He has examined tax structures and related factors in both Florida and Georgia, including the rise of e-commerce and the growth of local-option sales taxes.

He has studied various aspects of sales taxes, property taxes, and “bed taxes,” a key source of revenue for Florida’s huge hospitality industry.

Hawkins, whose Ph.D. is from Georgia State University, also has participated in many national conferences. They include The Society for Marketing Advances, Advances in Marketing Conference; the National Tax Association’s Annual Conference on Taxes; and the Academy of Economics and Finance.

His work has appeared in State Tax Notes and other technical publications. Published articles include “Four Aspects of Telecommunications Tax Reform;” “State and Local Individual Income Tax Trends in the 2000s,” and “The Curious History of Florida Property Tax Limitations.”

On a local level, Hawkins has studied issues such as underemployment in Northwest Florida, the financial impact of hurricanes, and the economic effects of increased road building in Escambia County.