La Salle University
H. David Robison, Ph.D.
Dr. H. David Robison is Chair of the Economics Department at La Salle University. His Ph.D. in economics is from the University of Maryland. While at the University of Maryland, he worked for the INFORUM project, an economic forecasting and consulting firm which specializes in long-term economic forecasting for corporate and governmental clients. After finishing his degree, Dr. Robison taught and pursued research topics for a year at the University of Maryland before accepting a position at Louisiana Tech University. After four years at Louisiana Tech, Dr. Robison joined the faculty at La Salle.
Dr. Robison’s publications include topics ranging from forecasting methods to financial statement analysis to regulatory economics and to game theory. Dr. Robison works with his colleague Dr. Elizabeth Paulin as consultants in Act 111 Arbitration cases. He has provided analysis and testimony for several police unions across the state, including Philadelphia FOP Lodge 5, as well as some Firefighter unions. His work has primarily been on municipalities’ financial “ability to pay.” This work has led him to his current research into the impacts of municipal policies (tax and spending) on municipal budgets and local economic growth.
Areas of Expertise
Economic forecasting
Local public finance
Environmental and regulatory economics
Industrial organization
Education
Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1983
B.A., Juniata College, 1979
Research
Publications in Refereed Journals
“Managerial Incentives, Fraud, and Firm Value” The Financial Review, with Rudy Santore, May 2011, Vol 46, No 2., pp 281-311.
“Strategic State-level Environmental Policy With Asymmetric Pollution Spillovers,” Journal of Public Economics, May 2001 With Rudy Santore and Yehuda Klein, pp. 199-224.
“Short Selling and Trading Abuses on Nasdaq,” Financial Services Review, with Robert Albert and Timothy Smaby, Volume 6, Number 1, 1997, pp. 27-40.
“Abnormal Returns, Risk, and Financial Statement Data: The Case of the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait,” Journal of Economics and Business, with Bruce Bradford, March/April 1997, pp. 191-204.
“An Empirical Analysis of the Comparability of Disclosure Tendencies Within and Across Industries: The Case of Hazardous Waste Lawsuits,” Research in Accounting Regulation, with Philip Little and Mike Muoghalu, Volume 9, 1995, pp. 105-117.
“The Formation of Public Utility Holding Companies and Their Subsequent Diversification Activity,” Journal of Regulatory Economics, with Wallace Davidson and John Glascock, Volume 7, Number 2, March 1995, pp. 199-214.
“Hazardous Waste Lawsuits, Financial Disclosure, and Investors’ Interests,” Journal of Accounting, Auditing, and Finance, with Mike Muoghalu and Phil Little, Volume 10, Number 2, Spring 1995, pp. 383-400.
“Hostility and Stockholder Returns Associated with Petrochemical Acquisition Targets and Successful Bidders,” Petroleum Accounting and Financial Management Journal, with Bruce Bradford and Mike Toyne, Summer 1993, pp. 95-108.
“Solid Waste Disposal Costs, Product Prices, and Incentives for Waste Reduction,” Atlantic Economic Journal, with Yehuda Klein, March 1993, pp. 56-65.
“Anticipating Illegal Activities: Hazardous Waste Lawsuits and the Petrochemical Stock Returns,” Petroleum Accounting and Financial Management Journal, with Mike Muoghalu, Fall/Winter 1992, pp. 108-118.
“The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait and Petroleum Stock Returns,” Southern Business and Economics Journal, with Bruce Bradford, July 1992, pp. 223-233.
“Energy Efficiency, Fuel Switching, and Environmental Emissions: The Case of High Efficiency Furnaces,” Southern Economic Journal, with Yehuda Klein, April 1992, pp. 1088-1094.
“Hazardous Waste Lawsuits, Stockholder Returns, and Deterrence,” Southern Economic Journal, with John Glascock and Mike Muoghalu, October 1990, pp. 357-370. (Abstracted in Journal of Economic Literature)
“Predicting Going Concern Audit Opinions for the Oil and Gas Industry: A Single Industry Approach,” Southern Business and Economics Journal, with Phil Little and Jim Johnston, October 1990, pp. 34-45.
“Mutual Fund Performance: Market Timing, Excess Returns, or Risk Selection?” Journal of Financial and Strategic Decisions, with J. Glascock and T.W. Cheng, Fall 1990, pp 1-12.
“A Test of the Reliability and Bias of Supplemental Oil and Gas Reserve Disclosures Based on the Going Concern Status of Oil and Gas Firms,” Oil and Gas Tax Quarterly, with Philip Little and James Johnston, June 1990.
“A Study of Subsequent Events in the Life of Oil and Gas Companies Receiving Going Concern Qualified Opinions,” Petroleum Accounting and Financial Management Journal, with Phil Little and James Johnston, Fall/Winter 1989, 106-115.
“Industrial Pollution Abatement: The Impacts on Balance of Trade,” The Canadian Journal of Economics, February 1988, pp 187-199. (Abstracted in Journal of Economic Literature)
“The Impact of Changing Oil Prices on Interfuel Substitution Ethanol’s Prospects in the US to 1995,” with S. Silver, Journal of Policy Modeling, Summer 1986, pp. 241-253.
“Who Pays for Industrial Pollution Abatement?” The Review of Economics and Statistics, November 1985, pp 702-706.
Editorially Reviewed Articles
“Risk and Investment in Pollution Abatement Equipment,” Atlantic Economic Journal, Anthology Section, with Y.L. Klein, March 1994, p. 105.
“The Simple Economics of Hospital Pricing Policies,” Health Care Strategic Management, with G. Austin Robison III, October 1986, pp. 21-25.
Other Professional Writing
“A Whole New Beast? Integrating Business Ethics and Business Strategy,” in Ethics: The Guiding Light: The 10th Annual Conference Promoting Business Ethics, with Mike Kerlin, October 2003.
“The Residential Pulse Combustion Furnace: A Study in Energy/Environmental Interactions,” in Papers of the International Association of Energy Economists Meetings, with Y. Klein, October 1990.
“A Test of the Relevance of Supplemental Oil and Gas Reserve Disclosures in Deciding a Firm’s Going Concern Status,” Collected Papers of the Southeast American Accounting Association, with Philip Little and Jim Johnston, Spring 1989.
“Ethanol in High‑Octane Gasoline,” Papers of the 6th Annual International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Input-Output Task Force Meeting, September 30, 1983.
Selected Presentations
“A Whole New Beast? Integrating Business Ethics and Business Strategy,” presented at The 10th Annual Conference Promoting Business Ethics, with Mike Kerlin, October 2003.
“Abnormal Returns, Risk, and Financial Statement Data: The Case of the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait,” with Bruce Bradford, at the National American Accounting Association Meeting, Orlando FL, August 14-16, 1995 (Research Forum).
“Abnormal Returns, Risk, and Financial Statement Data: The Case of the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait,” with Bruce Bradford, at the Northeast American Accounting Association Meeting, Hartford CT, April 20-22, 1995.
“Industrial Pollution Abatement and Product Prices: A Detailed Measurement,” ASSA meetings (American Economic Association Meetings), December 1990.
“Solid Waste Disposal Costs, Product Prices, and Incentives for Waste Reduction,” with Yehuda Klein, Eastern Economic Association Meetings, March 1992.
“The Residential Pulse Combustion Furnace: A Study in Energy/Environmental Interactions,” with Yehuda Klein and Robert Lapson, International Association of Energy Economists Meetings, October 1990.
“The Reagan Antitrust Guideline Reforms and Stockholder Returns,” with John Glascock and Stephen Skomp, Financial Management Association Meetings, October 1989.
“The Crops‑Alcohol‑Livestock Model and Its Forecast, 1982‑1995,” with StephenSilver, Atlantic Economic Society Conference, October 14, 1984.
“Ethanol in High‑Octane Gasoline,” The Input‑Output Task Force Meeting of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, September 30, 1983.
Current Research Interests
Municipal governmental policies: the impacts on municipal budgets and local economic growth.
Income inequality and the “disappearing” middle class, the role of policy changes and the changing job structure in the USA.