Dr. Susan Carter Richardson

Vice Dean for Academic Affairs

Dean's Staff

Social Sciences

Personal Website
susan.richardson [at] westpoint.edu

Susan Richardson is a economics professor and the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs (VDAA) at the United States Military Academy. As the VDAA, she oversees curriculum, faculty development, and assessment. Her academic research is in applied microeconomics, and she has papers on labor economics, household finance, and economics of education. She publishes under the name Susan P. Carter. 

She previously worked as a research analyst in the Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis at West Point. In that job, she performed data and economic analysis for the Army on issues related to diversity, manpower shortages, retention, and post-service employment. She received her B.S. in mathematical economics from Wake Forest University and her Ph.D. in economics from Vanderbilt University.

Ph.D. - Vanderbilt University

M.A. - Vanderbilt University

B.S. - Wake Forest University

Research Interests

Applied Economics, Labor Economics, Household Finance, Economics of Education

Selected Publications

“Making Big Changes: The Impact of Moves on Marriage among U.S. Army Personnel,” 2023. Journal of Human Resources. 58 (3): 713-754 (with Abigail Wozniak)

“Time to Repay or Time to Delay? The Effect of Having More Time Before a Payday Loan is Due,” 2022. American Economic Journal: Applied. 14 (4): 91-126. (with Kuan Liu, Paige Marta Skiba, and Justin Sydnor)

“The Effect of Moving Away from Home on Employee Retention: Evidence among U.S. Army Soldiers,” 2020. Regional Science and Urban Economics. 85 (with Ryan D. Swisher).

“Who’s the Boss? The Effect of Strong Leadership on Employee Turnover,” 2019. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. (with Whitney Dudley, David Lyle, and John Smith)

“Can Information Change Personal Retirement Savings? Evidence from Social Security Benefits Statement Mailings,” 2018. AEA Papers and Proceedings. 108, 93-97(with William Skimmyhorn)

"Much Ado about Nothing? New Evidence on the Effects of Payday Lending on Military Members," 2017. Review of Economics and Statistics, 99 (4): 606-621. (with William Skimmyhorn)

“The Impact of Computer Usage on Academic Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Trial at the United States Military Academy,” 2017. Economics of Education Review, 56: 118-132. (with Kyle Greenberg and Michael S. Walker)

“Who Will Fight – The All-Volunteer Army after 9/11,” 2017. American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings. 107 (5): 415-419. (with Alexander A. Smith and Carl Wojtaszek)