Jock O'Connell

Who is Jock O'Connell?

Jock O'Connell is a widely quoted American economist whose research focuses on logistical issues associated with international trade. He is the International Trade Adviser to Beacon Economics, a leading economic consulting firm. He is also a member of the California Economic Strategy Panel's Technical Advisory Group and the Committee on Intergovernmental Relations in Aviation of the Transportation Research Board. He formerly served as the International Trade & Economics Adviser at the University of California Center Sacramento and as a staff consultant to the California Commission for Economic Development.

In conjunction with Beacon Economics, Mr. O'Connell issues "The California Trade Report," a monthly analysis of California's position in world trade based on the latest data compiled by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Much of his recent research involves the condition of the California's international trade infrastructure. He was among the first to observe that, apart from facilitating commercial transactions, the Internet has emerged as a distinct mode of transport for a growing array of digitized products that had formerly been traded in tangible format. He has noted that, unlike conventional modes of shipping goods to markets worldwide, digitized trade via Internet transmissions or downloads elude the methods customarily used to monitor and measure trade flows. One implication is that exports from states like California which feature a robust software industry, may be under-reported by millions of dollars a year. In addition to his published studies, he has authored numerous op-ed articles that have appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle, and on Salon.com.