jones completed a b.a. in history with a minor in sociology from brigham young university in 1992. he did a m.p.a. in public affairs from cornell university in 1993, followed by a m.a. in political science from the university of california, berkeley in 1994. jones completed a ph.d. in economics at the university of california, san diego in 2000. after holding a number of visiting scholar and other academic positions, jones joined the faculty of george mason university in 2007.