Fynnwin Prager

I am Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Co-Director of the South Bay Economics Institute at CSU Dominguez Hills, College of Business Administration and Public Policy. Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at USC’s Price School of Public Policy and Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), and I remain affiliated with the Center. I received my PhD in Policy, Planning, and Development from the Price School, and my research and publications have focused on the policy and economics of disasters, particularly environmental and terrorism policy, and the impacts to regional economies and transportation systems. My dissertation focused on climate policy, and used Computable General Equilibrium modeling to analyze the economic and distributional impacts of US federal emissions trading policy. I have also published on similar assessments of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) and co-founded Carbon Retirement, an innovative London-based carbon offsets company. I have worked on studies for numerous organizations, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. National Biosurveillance Integration Center, and World Trade Center, Los Angeles on the economic impacts of trade facilitation, airport wait times, influenza epidemics, and foreign business investments.

What are those wiggly lines?

I was born and raised in Leeds, United Kingdom, completed my undergraduate studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Master’s of Public Policy and Ph.D. in Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California.

Outside of work I love spending time with my wonderful wife Lauren and lovely 8 year-old daughter Delilah. I also enjoy playing guitar, swimming, football (soccer!), and cooking. I am originally from Leeds, UK.

My Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher, I aim to foster a passion for learning, facilitate critical thinking, and encourage technical excellence. I believe that we all have an innate desire to learn about and understand the world around us. However, the challenge for teachers is to tap into that desire, which can manifest in very different ways for each individual. We all bring a diverse set of beliefs and worldviews to the classroom. I come from another country – the United Kingdom – which helps me to provide an international perspective. Moreover, I grew up in a multi-cultural, predominantly Afro-Caribbean community (there were also many Indian Sikhs and Pakistani Muslims), which taught me the importance of respecting other people’s traditions and cultural sensitivities. I also aim to facilitate critical thinking. Being able to think critically is an invaluable skill for anyone and is a tool that can be used to succeed in a variety of occupations. I believe that technical excellence is one of the facets that differentiates academia from other industries, whether this applies to theory, research methods or communications skills. I have been very fortunate to have worked with Professors who place a primacy on writing and communications skills, and I am greatly inspired by those efforts to provide consistent, extensive and constructive feedback to students on their written work and presentations through other media. I believe this approach, while requiring a greater time commitment, is a critical way to encourage students to reach their fullest potential. Moreover, I believe this approach fosters a culture of engagement and critical reflection.

Delilah at my parent's allotment in Leeds (2013)