Research
Center staff and affiliated faculty produce significant research ranging from commentary pieces in influential outlets, to white papers and essays on pressing government contracting issues, to peer-reviewed articles in premier journals.
Center competencies and capabilities are making an impact in the government contracting industry:
- Unique and influential analysis, commentaries, reports, and webinars on the federal response to COVID.
- White Paper Series that shares cutting edge research on small business transition, intellectual property, DoD budget reform, acquisition reform, and industrial base resilience.
- Impactful op eds in The Hill, Business Insider, Defense One, Defense News, the National Interest, with additional coverage by national print and broadcast outlets.
Reports
April 8, 2020Provides updates and trends in the federal response to COVID.-
White Paper Series
The Baroni Center for Government Contracting White Paper Series is a central focus of our work. The purpose of the series is to inject ideas into the government contracting ecosystem and identify potential solutions for vexing challenges facing the community.
In releasing these White Papers, the Center gratefully acknowledges the work of its senior fellows who wrote them. Through research, writing, and discussion, Center senior fellows champion matters of interest to the government contracting community. These fellows add a rich practitioner component for the Costello College of Business to better understand and support the GovCon industry.
We welcome your feedback and ideas for future topics in this series. Contact Charles Dolgas at cdolgas@gmu.edu.
January 14, 2021What breadth and permanence will federal agencies will allow when it comes to remote work, at least in their on-site contractors, and on contracts where work locations are geographically restricted? The degree to which remote work will continue depends on legitimization, shaping, and timing.-
September 28, 2020This paper provides an expansive review of the U.S. defense industrial base from World War I to today, the vital importance of a robust and secure industrial base, and how that base is being used to face the COVID pandemic.
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July 29, 2020In this paper, author Eric Lofgren, who researches business, policy, regulatory, and other issues in government contracting, charts a course for the future of budgeting informed by the history of government's financial management.
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July 14, 2020This paper examines the value of intellectual property in government procurement auctions using a focused comparison of two recent programs by Oshkosh Corporation for military medium-weight trucks.
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November 25, 2019This white paper details the effects of budget swings on readiness for Department of Defense operations as well as the impact on the contractors who engage on these efforts.
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November 25, 2019This white paper introduces a model of defense procurement competitions to examine the difference on pricing intellectual property between the government and government contractors, and how that difference can be reduced.
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November 25, 2019The Small Business Runway Extension Act brings to light the broader issues surrounding set-aside contracting policies. This white paper provides recommendations for other ways to achieve similar social policy objectives while mitigating the adverse effects of these unintended consequences.
Commentaries
Center commentaries provide timely insights into pressing government contracting issues in government and business. Whether the commentary topic is “in the news” or deserves “future attention,” readers are provided short, to the point on the topic, why the topic is important, and what to consider for its resolution.
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June 27, 2023Combat in Ukraine and the results of Asia-Pacific theater wargames have exposed the existential need for greater capacity in our defense-industrial base. Increasing U.S. production is a critical part of the solution, but it is not the only part. As illustrated by ongoing U.S. and allied efforts to scour the world for 155mm ammunition to support Ukrainian forces, engaging the industrial capacity of American partners and allies is an essential, mutually beneficial and cost-effective way to increase industrial capacity and resilience. That’s why we need to adopt a “Build Allied” approach for current and future contingencies.
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May 2, 2023A Commentary by Richard Beutel, senior fellow at the Baroni Center, suggests policy makers should at least contemplate the potential loss of product innovation and diversity available to the federal government under this new [Biden Administration] cybersecurity proposal.
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April 7, 2023One thing the nation has learned in helping Ukraine fight Russia, is how fragile our defense industrial supply base really is. From javelin missiles to major platforms, in a conflict the U.S. would run out in days or weeks. And then what?
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March 20, 2023Former Pentagon official Jerry McGinn has a prescription for America's production problems.
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March 2, 2023Jerry McGinn joins this Air Power Podcast, sponsored by GE Aerospace, and examines the United States’ ability to surge aircraft production in the wake of Boeing’s announcement that the F-18 production line is ending.
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February 27, 2023Based on initial use cases and reactions to the tool, ChatGPT is already creating benefits as well as risks for defense professionals.
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October 25, 2022Emily Murphy, former administrator of the General Services Administration and current senior fellow at the George Mason University Business School’s Center for Government Contracting, has published her latest article as a part of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program.
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September 27, 2022Prioritization, not capacity, is the real issue facing allies as they continue to supply Ukraine but also to ensure NATO members have enough defense items, writes Center for Government Contracting Executive Director Jerry McGinn in a commentary for DefenseNews
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September 19, 2022The U.S. government’s research and development efforts should promote small experiments because if they fail, we learn something; and when they succeed, we can build on that success. Likewise, Congress needs to act now to keep one of the smallest and most successful R&D programs from disappearing Sept. 30 to ensure continued progress and access to critical industries and technologies.
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August 5, 2022"The importance of the supply chain for strategic and critical materials is not as well appreciated," writes Stephanie Halcrow, Senior Fellow at the Center for Government Contracting, in an op-ed for RealClear Defense.
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June 15, 2022Defense News Commentary by Bill Greenwalt, Jerry McGinn, and Christopher Zember see the Defense Production Act "as a strategic asset for shared American values and national interests."
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May 19, 2022Defense News Commentary authors Daniel Fata and Jerry McGinn detail how "maintaining robust foreign suppliers through a 'Buy Allied' approach is essential for the American economy to remain strong and will help reduce dependencies on Chinese sources."
Affiliated Faculty
The Center for Government Contracting offers access to both the GovCon network and funds for research and writing, to enrich the understanding of the unique business interests on both sides of this market—government and business.
Affiliated Faculty appointments will
- Encourage academic research in GovCon;
- Advance the research reputation of the faculty and the Center;
- Offer grants and honoraria to support the effort faculty can bring to this discussion; and
- Offer a new avenue to engage faculty who share our interest to create a more efficient and effective market for the public good.
Current Appointments
Dean’s Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of Marketing, Ivy College of Business, Iowa State University
Ju-Yeon Lee is Dean’s Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of Marketing at the Iowa State University. Her research focuses on customer centricity, business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-business (B2B) relationships, and digital/online channels.
Associate Professor, Supply Chain and Operations, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Anant Mishra is an Associate Professor in the Supply Chain and Operations Department at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. His current research interests derive from contemporary issues in the areas of project management, open innovation, public-sector operations, and global supply chain management.
Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Rutgers Business School – New Brunswick
Brad Nathan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Rutgers Business School – New Brunswick. He teaches undergraduate and Honors Introduction to Financial Accounting. Prior to his current appointment, he was a Visiting Professor at Columbia University in the City of New York.
Professor of Law , Antonin Scalia Law School; Founding Director, Innovation Law Clinic; Executive Director, Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property (CPIP)
at George Mason UniversityProfessor O’Connor’s research and law practice focus on intellectual property and business law, especially the role of general counsel for start-ups and commercializing innovation in technology and arts.
Senior Lecturer, Cornell Engineering
Erika K. Palmer is a transdisciplinary social/sociotechnical systems engineer who brings diverse disciplines into the systems engineering community through her research and teaching.
Director, Rapid Prototyping Research Center
College of Engineering and ComputingProfessor Roeting’s body of work encompasses battlefield networking and communications interoperability with a specific focus on Special Operation Forces (SOF) and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACS).