Steven Byers is Common Sense Institute’s Senior Economist and has been with CSI since 2022. Steven is responsible for conducting research on issues important to the Colorado economy.

Prior to joining CSI, Steven spent three years working for the Coalition for a Prosperous America, a nonprofit organization consisting of manufacturing, agricultural, labor, consumer, and citizen interest groups, where he conducted research on the U.S. economy, international trade, and tariffs. Highlights of this research include a paper titled, “Decoupling from China – An Economic Analysis of the Impact on the U.S. Economy of a Permanent Tariff on Chinese Imports” for which he and a co-author won the National Association for Business Economics Edmund A. Mennis Contributed Paper Award. Steven’s experience as an economist spans twenty-three years, including work at federal regulatory agencies (SEC, CFTC, PCAOB) and quantitative economic analysis supporting international trade litigation cases brought before the U.S. International Trade Commission. His Ph.D. dissertation topic was based on a computable general equilibrium model (CGE) he developed to evaluate the economic impact of regional tax incentives in a small city (Fort Collins, CO).

Steven is a fifth generation Coloradan, is an avid bicyclist, golfer, sailor, and builds house and fine furniture in his spare time.

Research

View All
Free Enterprise Report
2026 Free Enterprise Report
The Free Enterprise Report is a marquis report that provides an objective, non-partisan, fact-based analysis of the Arizona economic landscape…
Education
Colorado’s Free School Lunch Program is Getting More Expensive
Introduction There are two ballot measures on the upcoming 2025 statewide ballot, Proposition MM and Proposition LL, that would effectively…
Housing & Our Community
Home Affordability in Colorado Mountain Counties
Introduction Home prices in Colorado’s mountain communities have risen dramatically over the last decade, in many instances home prices have…

August 14, 2025


Steven L. Byers, Ph.D.
Housing & Our Community
Colorado’s Housing Affordability Mismatch
Introduction Colorado’s housing affordability concerns are deepening, and in recent years it has become clearer that many Coloradans simply cannot…

STAY INFORMED

Subscribe today to receive exclusive emails from Common Sense Institute
Subscribe