Dr. Michael Pakko – Economist and Libertarian

“As an economist, I recognize that competition provides more and better choices for the consumer. This is true in the marketplace of political ideas as well. The two major parties are failing us and we need to open the process to more voices, and more choices on our ballots.”

Dr. Michael Pakko is currently the Chief Economist and State Economic Forecaster at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Pakko received his B.A. from Michigan State University in 1984 and a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 1994. Before moving to Arkansas in 2009, he spent 16 years as a research economist and officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

After developing an interest in regional economics and serving as the “Little Rock Zone Expert” for the Federal Reserve, Dr. Pakko found himself drawn to Arkansas. For the past 17 years he has been at UA-Little Rock, providing his analysis of the state’s macroeconomic conditions and conducting research to evaluate economic development initiatives around the state. He is a regular speaker at professional and business events, and is a frequent media commentator.

Dr. Pakko has also been active as a leader of the Libertarian Party of Arkansas, serving Chair of the Party since 2015. In his time as Chair, he has overseen the growth of the party from a truly new political party to a regular fixture in Arkansas electoral politics.

During his tenure, the Libertarian Party successfully petitioned to become a “new” political party in Arkansas seven times. Dr. Pakko was also lead plaintiff in two successful federal lawsuits to retain the party’s ability to do even that.

These experiences have led him to conclude that low levels of voter participation in Arkansas are not a reflection of apathy, but a failure of the two major political parties to provide real choices for the voters.