Peter T. Leeson is is the BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Until recently, Leeson was assistant professor of economics at West Virginia University. He has published widely in journals such as the Journal of Law and Economics, Public Choice, the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Critical Review, and the Cato Journal.

Leeson’s work on the economics of pirates was covered last month by James Surowieki in The New Yorker and Tim Harford in the Financial Times.

Leeson is a graduate of Hillsdale College and received his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University in 2005. He has been a visiting fellow at Harvard University and the London School of Economics.