Biosketch

Scott Barrett is the Lenfest-Earth Institute Professor of Natural Resource Economics in the School of International and Public Affairs and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He received a B.S., summa cum laude, in Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an M.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics. He was previously a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC and, before that, at the London Business School. He has held visiting appointments at École Polytechnique, Harvard, the Institute for Advanced Study (Berlin), the London School of Economics, Princeton, Sciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairs, Yale, and Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He received the Resources for the Future Dissertation Prize, the Publication of Enduring Quality Award from the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE), the Erik Kempe Prize from the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, and an honorary degree from the University of Bath. He is a fellow of AERE and the Beijer Institute in Stockholm, and an elected member of the NAS.

Research Interests

Scott Barrett’s research is concerned with interactions between the earth system and the international system, with a focus on ways to promote international cooperation on issues of shared if not universal public interest. Cooperation is achieved through international law, especially treaties and customary law, and his research uses analytical and experimental game theory to understand what these institutions are able to achieve. His work thus reveals whether and how the world can improve on efforts tried previously, as well as how best to address emerging, novel issues. He has applied his research to a range of topics, including climate change, ozone depletion, the eradication of infectious diseases, biodiversity conservation, and ocean governance.

Membership Type

Member

Election Year

2024

Primary Section

Section 64: Human Environmental Sciences

Secondary Section

Section 54: Economic Sciences