Shishir Shakya, PhD, is a labor policy fellow at the Archbridge Institute and an assistant professor of economics at Appalachian State University. His research spans health economics, labor markets, and regulatory economics, with a focus on how institutional frameworks shape healthcare access, mobility, and economic opportunity. His work is defined by a commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry, methodological rigor, and socially meaningful outcomes; he brings an empirical lens to questions of human flourishing, equity, and institutional design. Dr. Shakya received his Ph.D. in economics from West Virginia University.