M. Shahid Alam Information & M. Shahid Alam Links at HealthHaven.com

M. Shahid Alam is a professor of economics at Northeastern University, Boston.

His academic writings focus, among other things, on the economic effects of Western foreign and economic policies on formerly colonized states. He is one of the few economists today writing critically about the present-day global wealth disparities produced by Western policies. He draws attention to the pro-capitalist ideological intent and Eurocentric biases of mainstream economics.

He has published many books, including Poverty from the Wealth of Nations (Macmillan, 2000), Governments and Markets in Economic Development Strategies (Praeger: 1989), and Is There An Islamic Problem (Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press, 2004), republished in 2007 as Challenging the New Orientalism: Dissenting Essays on the "War Against Islam." He is also a regular contributor to Counterpunch magazine.

An outspoken opponent of U.S. policies in the Middle East and the Global South, Professor Alam has been the target of conservative commentators for his critical stance against U.S foreign policy. He is listed in David Horowitz's The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America (2006). In 2005, Bill O'Reilly aired a segment falsely alleging that Alam was a radical Islamist and a "bomb thrower," as part of his series on 'un-American' professors on U.S. campuses^[1].

Professor Alam was born in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. He holds a BA from the University of Dhaka, MA from the University of Karachi, and Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario.

[edit] Works

Books

Challenging the New Orientalism: Dissenting Essays on the "War Against Islam". (Jan 1, 2007)
Is there an Islamic problem? : essays on Islamicate societies, the US, and Israel. (2004)
Poverty From the Wealth of Nations: Integration and Polarization in the Global Economy since 1760. (Jun 10, 2000)
Governments and Markets in Economic Development Strategies: Lessons From Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. (Jun 12, 1989)
The basic macroeconomics of an oil economy (Discussion paper / Applied Economics Research Centre, University of Karachi). (1980)
Complete list of his works, at WorldCat

Selected Academic Articles and Papers

"Economic Growth with Energy" MPRA Paper, University Library of Munich, 2006
"Global Disparities Since 1800:Trends and Regional Patterns" MPRA Paper, University Library of Munich, 2006
"Some Economic Results of the Civilizing Mission" MPRA Paper, University Library of Munich, 2006
"A Short History of the Global Economy Since 1800" MPRA Paper, University Library of Munich, 2003
"A Theory of Limits on Corruption and Some Applications" Kyklos, 1995, 48, (3), 419-35.
"Colonialism, Decolonisation and Growth Rates: Theory and Empirical Evidence" Cambridge Journal of Economics, 1994, 18 (3), 235-57.
"Convergence and Polarization: Testing for an Inverted-U Relation between Growth Rates and GDP per Capita" Applied Economics, 1992, 24, (3), 363-66.
"Convergence in developed countries: an empirical investigation" Review of World Economics, 1992, 128 (2), 189-201.
"A PARTIAL EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSIS OF TRADE WITH DECREASING TRANSPORT COSTS" International Economic Journal, 1991, 5, (4), 63-69.
"Trade Orientation and Macroeconomic Performance in LDCs: An Empirical Study" Economic Development and Cultural Change, 1991, 39, (4), 839-48