Stephen Charles Smith (born April 24, 1955) is an American economist, author, and educator. He serves as Chair of the Department of Economics and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University. Smith is also a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
Education
Smith earned his Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University in 1983. His dissertation, On Employment and Local Public Goods in Labor‑Managed and Participatory Firms and Labor Unions: Institutions, Economic Theory and Econometrics, examined the interplay between labor institutions and economic outcomes.
Academic career
- Joined the faculty of George Washington University in 1983 and has held various leadership positions, including director of the Institute for International Economic Policy and director of the university’s Research Program in Poverty, Development, and Globalization.
- Served as first director of the International Development Studies Program at the Elliott School of International Affairs.
- Held visiting and non‑resident senior fellowships at the Brookings Institution and was a Fulbright Research Scholar, a Fulbright Senior Specialist, a UNICEF Senior Fellow, and a Jean Monnet Research Fellow at the European University Institute.
Research interests
Smith’s work focuses on development economics, poverty alleviation, and the economics of participation. Specific topics include:
- Extreme (ultra)‑poverty and poverty traps, emphasizing local‑level interventions.
- Economic development theory, institutions, and policy, co‑authoring the widely used textbook Economic Development.
- Labor‑managed firms, worker cooperatives, works councils, and employee stock‑ownership plans, with empirical studies on firm performance and market dynamics.
Publications and contributions
- Co‑author of the textbook Economic Development (13th ed., Pearson, 2020).
- Author of Ending Global Poverty: A Guide to What Works (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005; paperback 2009).
- Co‑editor of NGOs and the Millennium Development Goals: Citizen Action to Reduce Poverty (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).
- Approximately three dozen peer‑reviewed journal articles covering poverty, development, and participation economics.
Professional service
- Associate editor of the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (2007–2013).
- Advisory Council member of BRAC USA.
- Consultant for the World Bank, International Labour Organization, UN‑WIDER, and UNDP, conducting field research in Bangladesh, China, Ecuador, India, Uganda, and the former Yugoslavia.
Recognition
Smith’s scholarly contributions have been recognized through fellowships (e.g., IZA Research Fellow), Fulbright awards, and appointments to senior research positions at major policy institutions. His work is frequently cited in discussions of effective anti‑poverty strategies and the role of worker participation in firm performance.