Donald Peppard
Professor of Economics
Joined Connecticut College: 1975
Education
B.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University
Specializations
Public sector economics
Economics of gambling
The informal sector in Hanoi, Vietnam
In the Spring of 1999, Peppard traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam as part of the College's first SATA (Study Away/Teach Away) Vietnam program. That 1999 trip was the first time Peppard had returned to Vietnam since he was a soldier there in 1968-69.
Since that first SATA program, Peppard has taken two groups of students to do research in Vietnam as TRIPs (Travel, Research, Immersion Program) and he has led five more SATA programs (2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2009). He received a Fulbright Fellowship to teach in the economics faculty of Vietnam National University - Hanoi in 2002; and he received a Fulbright Senior Specialist Program grant to work with the economics faculty at VNU in the Spring of 2004.
Peppard visits Vietnam at least once a year and conducted SATA Vietnam in 2011. He completed the SEASSI program in Vietnamese language during the summer of 2010.
Peppard teaches about the economies of regions in "Urban and Regional Economics" and about the public sector in "Public Finance." He also teaches introductory macroeconomics, intermediate microeconomics, a senior seminar titled "The Political Economy of Legalized Gambling," and a first-year seminar called "Countries of the Mekong."
Following a long-standing research interest in gambling and its public policy implications, Peppard examined the effects of Foxwoods Resort Casino on Southeastern Connecticut. Since 1999, he has worked with Rolf Jensen on the informal sector in Hanoi and the traditional brick-making industry. They have published five articles about their research, "Roving Street Sellers in Hanoi: A Look at the Urban Informal Sector;" "Hanoi's Informal Sector And The Vietnamese Economy: A Case Study Of Roving Street Vendors;" "The Traditional Brickmaking Industry And The Rural Economy Of Vietnam;" "Food-Buying Habits in Hanoi;" and "Women's Circular Migration in Vietnam: a Study of Hanoi’s Roving Street Vendors."
Other publications include "Net Fiscal Incidence in Michigan," "Toward a Radical Theory of Fiscal Incidence," "Government as Bookie: Explaining the Rise of Lotteries for Revenue," "Mega-Resort on my Doorstep: Local Resident Attitudes toward Foxwoods Casino and Gambling on Nearby Indian Reservation Land," and "Job Quality and Job Satisfaction Among Casino Workers: The Case of Foxwoods."
Peppard was the first recipient of the College's Student Government Association Excellence in Teaching Award in 1989.
Visit the economics department website.
"Vietnam has changed my life twice so far, both times for the better." - Don Peppard
