Bruce Yandle
- Distinguished Adjunct Fellow
Bruce Yandle is a Distinguished Adjunct Fellow for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He specializes in public choice, regulation, and free-market environmentalism. Yandle frequently briefs Capitol Hill policymakers on economic issues and lectures regularly in Mercatus programs for House and Senate staffers.
In 1983, Yandle developed the “Bootleggers and Baptists” political model, in which opposite moral positions lead to the same vote. He argued that bootleggers, who benefit financially from blue laws regulating the sale of alcohol, give support to Baptists advocating the desired public policy, because “when the Baptists go away, the Bootleggers lose their territory.” His 2014 book Bootleggers and Baptists: How Economic Forces and Moral Persuasion Interact to Shape Regulatory Politics, coauthored with economist Adam Smith, explores this topic further.
Yandle is dean emeritus of the Clemson College of Business and Behavioral Sciences and was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and senior economist on the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability.
Yandle received his PhD and MBA from Georgia State University and his BA from Mercer University.
The Legacy of Bruce Yandle, edited by Donald J. Boudreaux and Roger Meiners, was released in 2020 and includes original essays and reflections that pay tribute to Yandle for his unusual ability as a teacher and researcher. The volume concludes with an essay by Yandle himself, looking back on his career and the state of economics and policy making today and issuing a call to action for the next generation of scholars and teachers in political economy.
Publications & Appearances
- | Financial Markets Financial Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Silicon Valley Bank Crisis and the Waning Private Sector | The Hill
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's March 2023 Economic Situation Report
On this episode, Patrick McLaughlin, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Policy Analytics here at Mercatus, discusses the…
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, March 2023
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Asylum Seekers Bring Better Prospects for Inflation | Mercatus Policy Digest

Earlier this month, markets and pundits did a double-take when the number of workers added to January payrolls…
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Where Is Our Economy Headed Next? | South Carolina Public Radio
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Has the Fed Gone Too Far? Maybe | The Washington Examiner
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Year in Review: What Economic Lessons did We Learn in 2022? | The Washington Examiner
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary