Profile

Dr. Stephen Bronars is an expert in employment discrimination, wage and hours matters, and the use of criminal background checks in hiring decisions, bringing his expertise in the rigorous analysis of complex datasets to the economic issues considered in these matters. Dr. Bronars testifies on issues related to class certification, liability, and economic damages in matters involving screens used in hiring decisions; wrongful terminations; and age, race, and gender discrimination at the federal and state levels.

Dr. Bronars is a sophisticated researcher, with extensive experience in academia and public policy. He previously led the Department of Economics at the University of Texas and has held faculty positions at Georgetown University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California Santa Barbara, Yale University, and Texas A&M University.

Dr. Bronars publishes widely on the topics of labor economics, econometrics, and microeconomics and has been featured on CNN’s The Situation Room and Good Morning America. His commentary has been included in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, among others. He has also participated in Senate committee meetings, working to draft new legislation regarding immigration matters.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

  • Senior Economist,  Welch Consulting
  • Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University
  • Chairman, Department of Economics, University of Texas


Case Highlights

Insights & News

Publications

  • Published Article, Law360 | 04.26.2023

    Dr. Stephen Bronars of Edgeworth Economics analyzes the anticipated new salary thresholds for the Fair Labor Standards Act, expected to be proposed in May.

  • Published Article, A condensed version of this article was published in Bloomberg Law | 03.07.2023

    Dr. Stephen Bronars of Edgeworth Economics analyzes the Federal Trade Commission’s stance that non-compete clauses reduce worker earnings across industries, saying that research doesn’t support this conclusion.

  • Published Article, Law360 | 06.13.2022

    The Congressional Progressive Caucus recently proposed an increase in the salary threshold that they claim will reach $82,732 by 2026 $1,591 per week. Businesses required to accurately record the work hours and accurately calculate regular rates of millions of managers and professionals, many of whom receive bonuses and commissions, are likely to face a considerable increase in compliance costs.

  • Published Article, Law360 | 07.08.2021

    In this article, Dr. Stephen Bronars explains that a single $56,000 nationwide salary threshold would likely result in the reclassification of many managers and professionals in low-wage states, while having much less impact in high-wage states and metropolitan areas.

  • Published Article, Law360 | 05.11.2021

    In this article Dr. Stephen Bronars quantifies the impact of the new $15 minimum wage for three contractor jobs that were identified by the White House in its announcement of the executive order. He shows that the impact of a $15 minimum wage for janitors, cafeteria attendants and nursing assistants varies substantially by metropolitan area.

  • Published Article, Law360 | 05.01.2020

    Headlines announcing impending layoffs and furloughs abound as the economy declines due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and a downturn in the oil and gas sector. Depending on the demographics of their employees, some firms may be particularly susceptible to risk of adverse impact in layoff and furlough decisions.

  • Law360 | 04.15.2019

    Edgeworth Partners Dr. Stephen Bronars and Dr. Deborah Foster discuss the Department of Labor's recent proposal to increase the HCE salary threshold from $100,000 to $147,414. 

  • Law360 | 05.23.2018

    In anticipation of future civil class actions related to no-poach and wage-fixing agreements, Edgeworth Partners Dr. Stephen Bronars and Dr. Deborah Foster have published a two-part primer in Law360 on wage analyses that are frequently used in employment discrimination cases and will become increasingly relevant as labor issues cross over into the antitrust arena.

  • Law360 | 05.23.2018

    In anticipation of future civil class actions related to no-poach and wage-fixing agreements, Edgeworth Partners Dr. Stephen Bronars and Dr. Deborah Foster have published a two-part primer in Law360 on wage analyses that are frequently used in employment discrimination cases and will become increasingly relevant as labor issues cross over into the antitrust arena.

  • ABA Consumer Financial Services Committee Newsletter | 08.05.2016

    In this article written for the ABA Consumer Financial Services Committee Newsletter Dr. Stephen Bronars explores the implications of behavioral economics on consumer financial services law.

  • Law360  | 06.17.2016

    The DOL's estimate of an additional 2.5 percent increase in the new salary threshold over three adjustments may not be accurate and likely understates its magnitude.

  • Law360  | 05.12.2016

    The pay ranges specified in the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's proposed EEO-1 forms are broader than the pay differences it aims to detect. While the goal of determining instances of pay discrimination is sensible, the authors show that the proposed data collection system is unlikely to accomplish the objective.

  • Law360 | 10.09.2015

    In this Law360 article, Dr. Stephen Bronars and Dr. Nathan Woods discuss the possibly profound consequences of using external benchmarks when conducting analyses of age discrimination allegations.

  • Forbes | 09.01.2015

    Dr. Stephen Bronars publishes “Ten Years after Katrina: African Americans in New Orleans and the Evacuation Divide” in Forbes, analyzing residents’ access to vehicles ten years after hurricane Katrina.

  • Law360 | 08.25.2015

    Drs. Bronars, Foster, and Woods discuss the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed salary test for the white collar exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

  • Law360 | 08.14.2015

    Drs. Deborah K. Foster, Stephen G. Bronars, and Nathan D. Woods published the article “Approaches to Hourly Rates Under DOL White Collar Rules” in Law360.

  • Law360 | 07.17.2015

    Dr. Stephen Bronars and Chuck Fields, along with Christopher Craig of O’Melveny & Myers, co-authored the article in Law360.

Edgeworth Insights

Speaking Engagements

News

Multimedia

Multimedia

  • Dr. Stephen Bronars Testifies Before Congress

    Edgeworth Economics Partner Dr. Stephen Bronars was called to testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest regarding the economic impact of the H-2B Temporary Foreign Worker Program on the wages of US workers.

Industries

Industries

  • Federal Government
  • Financial Services
  • Food Manufacturing
  • Healthcare
  • Retail
  • State Government
  • Technology

Education

Dr. Bronars earned his PhD and MA in economics from the University of Chicago and his BA in economics from the University of Illinois. 

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