[3] Governor Bob Wise (D) appointed Hicks to the Fund commission, where, after approval by the West Virginia State Senate he served from 2003–2006.
Burton and Hicks also provided testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands and Climate Change, regarding the fiscal and economic effects of mining restrictions.
[5] Burton and Hicks also served as consultants to the National Academies of Science review of the economic consequences of the coal slurry spill in eastern Kentucky.
[7][8] This report sparked much criticism from the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and unleashed a series of op-Ed pieces and a letter writing campaign to state newspapers.
The public debate culminated in an editorial in the Charleston Gazette criticizing the Chamber's attack on the Marshall University research team.
[9] However, the chair of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce wrote to Marshall University President Dan Angel, demanding that Dr. Hicks' tenure be revoked as a consequence of this study.
This book developed from work on local government consolidation study teams authored by former governor Joe Kernan and Supreme court Justice Randy Shepard.
Along with Kristy Wilburn, Hicks published the first econometric study to address the endogeneity of firm location decision related to Wal-Mart.
[17] Subsequent to this, Hicks appeared in a November 2005 Global Insight conference on Wal-Mart's impact which received significant national attention.