NEW YORK September 12, 2008-Thomas Flores, a political economist with expertise in Latin American politics and economic inequality and security issues in developing economies, has joined the full-time faculty of the NYU Center for Global Affairs at the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies (NYU-SCPS). He will be a clinical assistant professor within the Center’s graduate global affairs program, beginning fall 2008.
A researcher and educator in the areas of international development and political economy, Flores’ work has focused on the political foundations of economic growth and inequality, security challenges in developing countries, the politics of international aid and international financial institutions, and the politics of Latin America, especially Colombia. His dissertation examined the politics of protecting private property rights, and he is currently co-authoring-with Professor Irfan Nooruddin of Ohio State University-a book on economic recovery from violent civil conflicts.
“Thomas Flores’ promising academic achievements, commitment to engaged scholarship and teaching, and admirable personal and professional values will no doubt enhance the intellectual and professional development of the students within our Center for Global Affairs,” says NYU-SCPS Dean Robert Lapiner.
“We are very pleased to have Tom Flores on our faculty,” says Vera Jelinek, divisional dean of the NYU Center for Global Affairs. “His groundbreaking research on the effect of property rights discrimination on economic development and inequality is but the first step in what I expect will be a brilliant academic career. His enthusiasm and energy is infectious and our graduate students will be clamoring for his courses.”
“The NYU Center for Global Affairs offers a unique opportunity to combine scholarship, teaching, and involvement in public policy in productive ways, and I cannot imagine a better place to continue my career as a scholar,” Flores says. “I am thrilled by the opportunity to work with a diverse range of students and to bridge theory and practice in the classroom. As a scholar, I will have access to all the resources that NYU offers. And, I relish the chance to participate in the Center’s public programs on critical questions in global affairs.”
Before joining NYU-SCPS, Flores was an analyst with First Manhattan Consulting Group. He has received a United States Department of State Fulbright Scholarship for study in Colombia, a Ford Foundation Diversity Dissertation Fellowship, and two teaching prizes from the University of Michigan. He has co-authored two forthcoming articles: “Financing the Peace,” about World Bank lending to post-conflict countries, for the Review of International Organizations; and “Democracy Under the Gun,” about democratization in post-conflict countries, for the Journal of Conflict Resolution.
Flores holds a B.A. in Government, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan.
About the Center for Global Affairs and the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies-The NYU Center for Global Affairs (scps.nyu.edu/globalaffairs), one of several comprehensive academic divisions within the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies (NYU-SCPS), offers graduate and continuing education programs in global affairs and hosts a series of vibrant public events on related topics. Established in 1934, NYU-SCPS is among the 14 colleges and schools that comprise New York University, one of the largest private research universities in the United States. Through its faculty, curricula, and vibrant professional and academic networks, NYU-SCPS captures the expertise of key sectors where New York leads globally: Real Estate; Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management; Global Affairs; Philanthropy; Communications Media, Publishing, Design, and Digital Arts; Business, Marketing, and Finance; and the Liberal and Applied Arts, among others. Rigorous and timely programs in these and related areas attract undergraduate and graduate students immersed in university life, working professionals in 14 graduate degrees, and New Yorkers of all backgrounds enrolled in approximately 2,500 continuing education courses, certificate programs, conferences, and seminars annually. NYU-SCPS is widely considered to be the most complete example of NYU’s founding commitment to be “In and Of the City”-and Of the World.