W. Scott Langford
Assistant Professor of Public Administration · Texas State University
I study state and local public finance, economic development, and the institutional plumbing of fast-growing places — how local governments absorb shocks and finance growth. I write Southbound 35, a blog on the Texas I-35 corridor.
About
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University, in the MPA program. I previously held a postdoctoral research fellowship in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University and earned my PhD in Public Policy from UNC Chapel Hill.
My research uses applied econometrics on administrative data to answer policy-relevant questions in state and local public finance. Substantively, I sit at the intersection of public administration, regional economics, and public health. Recent work has appeared in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Economic Development Quarterly, the Journal of Regional Science, and JAMA Pediatrics. My independent research has been funded by the Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise.
I’m available for invited talks, consulting, and media inquiries — best reached by email.
Southbound 35
I write Southbound 35 — a blog on public finance, economic development, and applied analysis on the Texas corridor. New posts on Mondays at 5 AM Central.
- Who Governs Hays County? — May 25, 2026
- Who's actually clutch on Sunday? Eight years of PGA Tour data. — May 19, 2026
- How Do You Pay for the Schools? — May 18, 2026
- Where the Water Will Come From — May 11, 2026
- Did LIV Golfers Get Worse After They Defected? — April 30, 2026
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Contact
Email: scottlangford@txstate.edu
Office: Trauth Huffman Hall 355, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Office hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:00–3:00 p.m.
For something less formal: a little about me.