Alan Gin is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of San Diego. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, and his Master’s of Arts and Ph.D. degrees, both in Economics, from the University of California at Santa Barbara. His work experience includes stints with the Community Development Department of the County of Fresno and the Public Works Department of the City of Oxnard. Professor Gin came to the University of San Diego (USD) in 1988, after having previous taught at Loyola Marymount University and the University of California at Santa Barbara. In 2001, he was awarded the USD Parents' Association Award of Excellence after being nominated by one of his students. He was voted "Professor of the Year" by the graduate business students at USD for the 2002 - 2003 academic year.
Professor Gin is one of the faculty members in the USD School of Business Economic Research Center. His research interests include local public finance, urban transportation, and the economy of San Diego. On the latter subject, he is best known for developing and publishing the University of San Diego’s Index of Leading Economic Indicators for San Diego County, a monthly report on the outlook for the local economy. Professor Gin’s insights on the local economy have made him a popular source for interviews, and he has given over 1,000 interviews to local and national media sources. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and other publications. He has also been interviewed by numerous radio and television stations, including KPBS, Univision, and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). For his work on forecasting the local economy, he has been named to the San Diego Business Journal's "Who's Who" list and has been recognized by the Asian Business Association and the Union of Pan Asian Communities.