Tom Velk (Thomas James Velk) is a libertarian-leaning American economist who teaches and lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is the chair of the North American studies program at McGill University and a professor in that university's economics department. His research interests are in monetary economics and public policy, specifically the de-regulation of money markets and the usefulness—or lack thereof—of central banks.[1]
Velk holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin. He has edited a number of books on Canadian and American public policy issues. Additionally, he has served on the Board of Governors of the American Federal Reserve System as a visiting professor and consultant (1969–1972), and worked for the World Bank.[2] In 1982–1983 Velk was a visiting scholar at the department of economics at Dartmouth College and in 1974 served as a consultant to the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress.
Velk is a regular contributor to media coverage of economic issues, writing a recurring column, "From the Right", for CBC News Viewpoint in 2005–2006.[2] Velk has also written for The Wall Street Journal, the Canadian Forum, The Globe and Mail, Financial Post, Montreal Gazette, Le Devoir, and the CBC.[1]
He currently resides in North Troy, Vermont.[1]