Economics professor Sheridan coauthors article in Energy Policy professional journal

Brandon Sheridan, North Central College assistant professor of economics, coathored an article in the October 2013 issue of Energy Policy, an international peer-reviewed journal addressing the policy implications of energy supply and usage from their economic, social, planning and environmental aspects.

His article, titled, "The dynamics of sectoral electricity demand for a panel of U.S. states: New evidence on the consumption-growth nexus," investigates the causal relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth. The direction of causality is of particular interest; it has implications for the effectiveness of various energy conservation policies.

Their study finds evidence that electricity consumption drives economic growth in the industrial sector, implying that electricity conservation policies could be harmful for economic growth in this context. However, an opposite causal relationship is identified for the commercial and residenial sectors; that is, economic growth tends to cause more electricity consumption in these sectors. As a result, conservation policies do not adversely affect growth in this context.

Sheridan joined the faculty at North Central in 2012. He earned his B.S. from Centre College and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Kentucky.