Maria Pia Paganelli

Maria Pia Paganelli serves as Professor of Economics at Trinity University, specializing in the history of economic thought with particular expertise in Adam Smith, David Hume, and the Scottish Enlightenment. Her research bridges 18th-century philosophy with modern behavioral economics, evolutionary biology, and neuroeconomics.

Her research interests center on Adam Smith's moral philosophy, monetary theory history, and Scottish Enlightenment economics. She investigates how self-interest interacts with institutional environments and motivational drives, examining Smith's relevance to contemporary behavioral economics through systematic analysis of primary texts and modern experimental validation.

Paganelli's recent publications reveal a strong focus on Adam Smith's monetary theory (particularly the 'Digression on Silver'), Smith's moral philosophy (including anti-Stoic elements and emotional expression), and commercial society foundations. Her work consistently connects historical economic thought to modern interdisciplinary research in behavioral economics and institutional analysis.

• Best Article of Year (2009) - European Society for History of Economic Thought
• Fulbright Scholar Award (2024)
• President, International Adam Smith Society
• President, History of Economics Society

As an educator, she teaches Principles of Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, History of Economic Thought, and Law & Economics while leading faculty-led study abroad programs in Iceland. She has served as Book Review Editor for the Journal of the History of Economic Thought and maintains active research collaborations through her leadership roles in major academic societies.