Jessica Hennessey is an Associate Professor of Economics at Furman University, an undergraduate liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. She has taught Principles of Economics, Empirical Methods in Economics, Public Finance, Government and Business, and a senior capstone course in American Economic History. Her main research interests are in public economics, new institutional economics, and economic history. Thus far, her research has focused on studying the changing relationship between state and local governments in the United States from the 18th through 20th century. Recently, this venture has expanded to look at the more general patterns of special and general legislation adoption across states.