Ph.D. Student Chose UMKC to Change Economics as We Know It

Community and research brought Matthew Robinson to Kansas City

At UMKC, students write their own stories, form their own definitions of success and chart innovative career paths. With Kansas City as their classroom, they turn dreams into reality every day.

Matthew Robinson
Anticipated graduation year: 2025
UMKC degree program: Ph.D., Economics
Hometown: Fresno, California

The interim director of the Center for Economic Information is a familiar face at UMKC. Matthew Robinson has earned both his master's and Ph.D. in economics here, and he had a simple answer for why he chose this school all the way from Fresno, California.

"It was the people," Robinson said. "I was doing a master's program at another school and met a graduate student from UMKC at a conference in New York. I was so excited about the work that they were doing. I think I bugged them about it for just hours afterwards. Then I met more students, more faculty and I decided that whatever career plans I have, or other job prospects, I'm going there and doing what these folks are doing."

As for what got him into economics as a field of study, Robinson had a less simple answer: 2008.

"I was kind of kicking around during undergrad," he said. "I haven't found anything I really like. I am taking an economics course during this time, and the world is, in a sense, falling apart. I'm volunteering, too, in a community full of very hardworking, very talented people. The unemployment rate is shooting up through the roof, and it's not like we got worse at our jobs. It's something else that was happening, and it didn't match up with what was in the textbook. I get to the job site, and I get requests: 'College kid, explain it.' I gave the answer that was in the textbook. This is just what they're saying. And after a while, they said that's enough, because it was insulting. It was the standard thing, the bootstrap thing; just work for less money."

That was a major inspiration for Robinson as he started studying economics.

"When I left Fresno, I made a promise to myself: if I can't talk about what I am doing to my buddies who did not graduate high school, I'm wrong. If I can't talk at an academic conference with a bunch of economists and my people who didn't graduate high school, it's not for me. I'm in the wrong place."

Turns out, the right place was UMKC.

"I started politely asking my professors why what we were seeing in theory is not what was actually happening. My professors pointed me to some writings, some from UMKC, and I was like, 'This is it. I need to learn this,' It took me a long time, but I did end up where things made sense."

Robinson loves the work so much, he often struggles to focus on just his projects.

"There's just so much interesting work going on in the department," he said. "I'm focused on my research agenda and moving things forward, but then I'll hear a colleague talk about their work, or I'll walk down the hallway and stumble into a presentation on something completely different, usually on currency markets, securities, neighborhood health or housing. All of a sudden, it's like 'Oh, my gosh! That's the most interesting thing in the world,' and I have to know everything about it. It's a good problem and probably the most difficult part of the program."

The program at UMKC approaches economics in a way that helps that research relate to the here and now.

"We have a what's called a pluralist tradition," Robinson said. "It's very focused on taking a look at the economy from different perspectives. We are encouraged to do it, or required to do it, because no one person or one school of thought or perspective is correct. You are expected to understand all of them."

Robinson also found that support in the other schools at UMKC.

"I got to take three law school courses," he said. " If you need to learn about space, and how to understand neighborhoods and boundaries, go over to geosciences, which was my code discipline. We're expected to be members of the community rather than just stuffy academics behind the computer screen."

That's also why Robinson continues to spend his summers doing volunteer work around Kansas City. He's also involved with his local neighborhood association.

"It's another reminder that not everything is in the textbook," Robinson said. "You need to talk to community members who actually live in the economy. That's what's expected. And sure, it can be difficult, but that's what makes this a great part of our department."

It's easy to tell how much Robinson loves Kansas City, UMKC and his community.

"I'm just so lucky to be here," he said. "Just all the little things that could have gone one way or another. I met my wife here. I have neighbors that have turned into family. I guess it didn't take me too long, because this is the perfect time."