Jason E. Taylor
Jason E. Taylor
Professor of Economics
Professor of Economics
309 Sloan Hall
309 Sloan Hall
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Phone: 989.774.2578
Phone: 989.774.2578
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See my new book (released December 2024) from Palgrave Macmillan describing how the legalization of "non-intoxicating" 3.2 percent alcohol beer in April 1933, while the nation was still under Prohibition, helped spark a sharp recovery during the Great Depression.
The "Brew Deal" was one of FDR's earliest economic policies ... and the legacy of 3.2 beer lives on to this day.
We today celebrate April 7th as National Beer Day in honor of the events that accompanied the "Brew Deal."
Order now from Sleepy Dog Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other fine bookstores.
Advanced Praise for The Brew Deal:
“Jason Taylor knows how to make economic history sing. At one level, The Brew Deal is a story about FDR and the beer industry. But it is more: the book tells a tale of American resilience in battling the Great Depression. If you’ve got the time, Taylor’s got the book.”—Kenneth Elzinga, Professor of Economics, University of Virginia
“It’s rare that a book about events from a century ago feels so fresh and timely. This gripping scholarship is a joy for readers. It also provides important insights into the politics and regulation of alcoholic beverages today.”—Bart Watson, VP of Strategy & Chief Economist of the Brewers Association
“Jason Taylor’s writing pulls you in while both informing and entertaining. The book will be a delight to read whether you are a casual history buff or professional historian. Enjoy the journey while consuming a 3.2 beer.”—Darrell Smith, Executive Director of the American Breweriana Association.
“In The Brew Deal, Jason Taylor turns an economist's eye to beer economies in the U.S. during and after Prohibition. The result is a detailed and often eye-opening history of a seemingly familiar period in beer's American history. Sheer delight for historians.”—Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew.
“Essential reading for all who care about the ongoing pleasures of drinking a beer and those who need to understand its critical role in a thriving society.”—Charles Bamforth, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the UC-Davis; Senior Quality Advisor at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.; and author of In Praise of Beer
“Taylor provides a richly detailed account of the wide range of steps breweries took in the months and years leading up to and following the return of legal beer in April 1933. Anyone interested in the history of beer and brewing in America and in the labyrinthinely (almost humorously) complex set of state and local laws that emerged in post-Prohibition America will want to buy this book.”—Martin Stack, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of The Beeronomics Society and Professor of Management at Rockhurst University
“Jason Taylor provides a marvelous narrative about a happy change during the Great Depression, the return of legal beer. In an entertaining and informative fashion, he covers the beer industry’s decline under Prohibition, the politics of repeal, the celebrations that followed, the financing and impact of the rapid reopening of breweries, and the long after-life of 3.2 beer.”—Price Fishback, Professor of Economics, University of Arizona
Podcasts, Op-Eds, and More:
Podcasts, Op-Eds, and More:
“The Brew Deal” Presentation at the 2025 Roosevelt Reading Festival in Hyde Park (C-Span, July 2025)
"National Beer Day Isn't Random, It Marks FDR's Economic Gamble." (The Washington Examiner, April 7, 2025)
"National Beer Day Isn't Random, It Marks FDR's Economic Gamble." (The Washington Examiner, April 7, 2025)
"FDR Made the Depression Great Again" (The Wall Street Journal, August 1, 2023)
"A Cartel Policy Experiment During the Great Depression: The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933" Presentation to the European Union's Directorate General Competition (Commission responsible for EU policy on competition and for enforcing EU competition rules) in June 2022.
"A Cartel Policy Experiment During the Great Depression: The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933" Presentation to the European Union's Directorate General Competition (Commission responsible for EU policy on competition and for enforcing EU competition rules) in June 2022.
Listen to "Macro Musings" podcast (hosted by David Beckworth) in which I discuss the economics of the Great Depression and World War II.
Listen to "Macro Musings" podcast (hosted by David Beckworth) in which I discuss the economics of the Great Depression and World War II.
Also see my first book (University of Chicago Press, 2019)
Also see my first book (University of Chicago Press, 2019)
Named one of "Five Great and Recent Books in Economic History" by The American Institute for Economic Research
Named one of "Five Great and Recent Books in Economic History" by The American Institute for Economic Research
See some reviews of the book here: Economic History Review, The Historian, EH.net, Journal of Economic History, The Journal of American History, Essays in Economic and Business History, Turkish Economic Review
See some reviews of the book here: Economic History Review, The Historian, EH.net, Journal of Economic History, The Journal of American History, Essays in Economic and Business History, Turkish Economic Review
Brief Biography
Taylor is the Jerry and Felicia Campbell Professor of Economics at Central Michigan University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1998 and was an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia between 1998 and 2003. He has been at CMU since 2003.
Taylor is the Jerry and Felicia Campbell Professor of Economics at Central Michigan University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1998 and was an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia between 1998 and 2003. He has been at CMU since 2003.
He served as Editor-In-Chief of Essays in Economic & Business History between 2012 and 2018. In 2020, Taylor won The President’s Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity, the highest research honor at CMU.
He served as Editor-In-Chief of Essays in Economic & Business History between 2012 and 2018. In 2020, Taylor won The President’s Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity, the highest research honor at CMU.
Taylor's research focuses upon 20th century economic history in the United States, particularly the Great Depression and World War II, and how these historical episodes relate to cartel, labor, and public choice theory. Journals in which his work has appeared include: The Journal of Law and Economics, Journal of Economic History, Business History, Public Choice, Economica, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, American Economic Review (Papers and Proceedings), Southern Economic Journal, Journal of Industrial Economics, Explorations in Economic History among others. He has published editorials in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USAToday, Real Clear Politics, and the Detroit News, has appeared on NPR's "Planet Money" and "Morning Edition," and has testified the findings of his research before US Congress and presented them to the European Union's Directorate-General for Competition group.
Taylor's research focuses upon 20th century economic history in the United States, particularly the Great Depression and World War II, and how these historical episodes relate to cartel, labor, and public choice theory. Journals in which his work has appeared include: The Journal of Law and Economics, Journal of Economic History, Business History, Public Choice, Economica, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, American Economic Review (Papers and Proceedings), Southern Economic Journal, Journal of Industrial Economics, Explorations in Economic History among others. He has published editorials in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USAToday, Real Clear Politics, and the Detroit News, has appeared on NPR's "Planet Money" and "Morning Edition," and has testified the findings of his research before US Congress and presented them to the European Union's Directorate-General for Competition group.
His current work focuses on the economics of beer. Taylor specifically examines the economic impact re-legalization played in the early stages of the economic recovery from the Great Depression in 1933, the entrepreneurial response to re-legalization, how the rehabilitation of long defunct breweries was financed upon the return of legal beer, what factors influenced state's decisions to impose alcohol prohibitions between 1850 and 1920 (as well as the factors that contributed to the staggered unwinding of those state prohibitions after 1933), the heterogeneity of state level alcohol restrictions after Prohibition's end, and the long-term roles played by 3.2 beer in the US legal scene.
His current work focuses on the economics of beer. Taylor specifically examines the economic impact re-legalization played in the early stages of the economic recovery from the Great Depression in 1933, the entrepreneurial response to re-legalization, how the rehabilitation of long defunct breweries was financed upon the return of legal beer, what factors influenced state's decisions to impose alcohol prohibitions between 1850 and 1920 (as well as the factors that contributed to the staggered unwinding of those state prohibitions after 1933), the heterogeneity of state level alcohol restrictions after Prohibition's end, and the long-term roles played by 3.2 beer in the US legal scene.
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