| Institution: | New York University |
| Notable Students: | Robert P. Murphy |
| Alma Mater: | University of Chicago |
Mario J. Rizzo (; born July 6, 1948) is an American economist of the Austrian School.[1] He serves as Professor of Economics at New York University.
Rizzo studied economics at Fordham University where he received his B.A. and M.A. As a student, he was then known as a follower of Murray Rothbard.[2] He received his PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.[3]
Rizzo is the Director of the Program on the Foundations of the Market Economy.[4] He co-directs the Classical Liberal Institute[5] at the New York University School of Law with Richard Epstein. He was the 1997-1998 president of the Society for the Development of Austrian Economics[6] and the 2017-2018 Hayek Distinguished Visiting Professor for the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University.[7] He edits the Routledge book series Foundations of the Market Economy with Laurence H. White.[8] His works lies at the interface between ethics and economics, law and economics, and psychology and economics.[9] Jeffrey Tucker describes Rizzo's work as having a huge influence on his early thought and argues that his major work, Austrian Economics Re-examined,[10] launched a research program that has lasted for decades.[11] Peter Boettke describes the critical role of Rizzo's research program in his early work on the economics of socialism.[12]
In 2016, Rizzo was noted for being the only professional economist to sign open letters condemning both the economic policy platforms of Donald Trump[13] and Hillary Clinton.[14] [15]