Richard Edward Wagner (born April 28, 1941) is an American economist. He is professor emeritus of economics at George Mason University. He works primarily in the fields of public finance, public choice, and complexity economics. Wagner received his doctorate in economics from the University of Virginia, studying under James M. Buchanan. Wagner's work centers on the notion that macroeconomic phenomena are emergent, rather than being objects of choice, and the relationship between Systems theory and Economics. In addition to Buchanan, major influences on his thought include Carl Menger, Frank Knight, G. L. S. Shackle and Thomas Schelling.

Selected publications