Ke (Kerr) Lyu
Assistant Professor of Economics and Statistics
Southern Arkansas University
Blanchard Hall 314, 100 E. University, Magnolia, AR 71753
Self Introduction
I am Assistant Professor of Economics and Statistics in the Rankin College of Business at Southern Arkansas University.
My research fields are Labor Economics, Economics of Entrepreneurship, Public Economics, and Health Economics. Broadly, my research examines how public policies and individual factors shape entrepreneurial activity, particularly among “fragile” or early-stage ventures such as solo self-employment, nonemployer firms, and unincorporated businesses. Two key questions drive my research:
❓What drives self-employment? Is it primarily dominated and driven by opportunity or by necessity in both high- and middle-income countries?
❓To what extent can policies designed to promote self-employment effectively enhance social welfare?
News Feed
07/04/2026 — Our paper, "The Effect of the Kansas Tax Reform on Self-Employment Hours Worked", has been published in International Tax and Public Finance.
05/01/2026-05/03/2026 — Our paper,
"How Do Minimum Wages Affect Nonemployer Business Establishments in the United States?", has been accepted for presentation at the
Society of Labor Economists' 29th Annual Meeting
.
01/16/2026 — Paper published in Small Business Economics: A Tale of Two Startups: The Loss and Gain of Startups in the U.S. Economy in the Pandemic.