Expertise

Political economy of international sustainable development; rural poverty and development; land poverty and reform; political economy of the environment; ecological economics; rewards for ecosystem service stewardship; political economy of globalization.

Profile

To his current teaching and research on the political economy of rural development and the environment in the Global South, particularly Mesoamerica, Barry Shelley brings years of experience as an active participant in struggles of social justice, as a community and program organizer in the U.S., and as a development practitioner in El Salvador. In El Salvador he coordinated a faith-based international NGO working with Salvadoran partners in the areas of human rights, health, education, and economic development, both during and following that country’s civil war. Since that time, Barry’s work has included co-coordinating a team exploring strategies for natural assets building and co-editing the resulting book; doing research in El Salvador and other parts of Latin America; facilitating opportunities for researchers and practitioners to learn from each other; teaching university courses in environmental and development economics; and facilitating economic literacy workshops for activists, community organizations, and faith-based groups. He holds a B.A. in public policy (Duke), a M.Div. in theology and social ethics (Harvard), and a M.A. in economics (University of Massachusetts at Amherst), and is in the final stages of completing his Ph.D. in economics (also at UMass).