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Knee Regulatory Research Center
John Chambers College of Business and Economics
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About

Our mission is to produce high-quality research on the effects of government regulation and to communicate the results broadly to inform real world change.

How We Started

Established in June 2016, by founding Director and Professor of Economics, Dr. Edward Timmons at Saint Francis University, The Knee Regulatory Research Center is an academic research center funded by a generous grant from the Knee Family Foundation and the Charles Koch Foundation. The Knee Regulatory Research Center was housed at the Shields School of Business at St. Francis University in Loretto, PA until 2021, studying the effects of occupational licensing on a variety of labor market and economic outcomes.

Moving to West Virginia

In the fall of 2021, the Center moved from St. Francis University to West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics in Morgantown, WV. The Business College offers ten bachelor's degrees, eleven master's degrees, and three doctoral degrees. With more than 3,000 undergraduate students enrolled at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics as of fall 2024, the network of alumni is expansive and the research and capacity is highly regarded. Business programs at the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics are accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In its 2011 edition, Bloomberg Businessweek ranks West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics among the top 100 undergraduate business schools in the country.

Where We Are Now

Now co-directed alongside Dr. Alicia Plemmons, Assistant Professor of General Business, Director for the Center for Free Enterprise, Director of Health research at the Knee Center, and program coordinator for the DBA, MBA, and Healthcare MBA programs, Dr. Timmons and Dr. Plemmons head the way for the work and research undertaken at the Knee Regulatory Research Center. The Knee Regulatory Research Center's research has now expanded into three categories of regulation focus areas: Labor, Health, and Regulatory Frontiers. Each area explores a variety of questions and outcomes within the theme of regulation policy. 

Dr. Edward Timmons

Dr. Edward Timmons has dedicated his academic career to the study of occupational licensing.

In addition to writing his doctoral dissertation on the subject, he has published several peer-reviewed journal articles and policy papers on the subject. He has published op-ed pieces on the subject in several outlets including US News and World Report, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Tampa Bay Times, The South Florida Sun Sentinel and the Harvard Business Review. He regularly provides expert testimony on the subject nationally, and his research has been cited by the Obama White House, the Federal Trade Commission, and the US House and Senate.

Dr. Alicia Plemmons

Dr. Alicia Plemmons has committed her studies and career experiences to understanding entrepreneurial activity, economic growth, and regulatory policy in a variety of applications. 

Dr. Plemmons' dissertation studied economic growth and entrepreneurial development through research into the determinants of entry, operation, and exit decisions of firms, laborers, and consumers, with one of these chapters focusing directly on the impact of occupational licensing laws on firm decision-making. Her research has been published in numerous academic journals, such as the Journal of Health Economics and Health Policy, in addition to being cited by other reputable sources, such as U.S. News & World Report. She regularly provides testimony and educational briefings on healthcare licensing modernization for state and federal legislatures.