Dr. Bruce specializes in applied policy research, focusing primarily on the economic and behavioral effects of tax policies on such things as small business activity and owner-occupied housing.  His work in CBER has included an ongoing evaluation of Tennessee’s welfare program, Families First.  He has published numerous articles in academic journals and presented his work at several professional meetings.  He has also testified before Congress on the topic of internet taxation, and he presented his work on taxes and small business activity before the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform in 2005.  His paper on tax policy and entrepreneurial endurance was awarded the National Tax Association’s Richard Musgrave Prize for the most outstanding article published in the National Tax Journal in 2002.

Dr. Bruce is a member of the National Tax Association and the American, Southern, and Western Economic Associations.