Robert A. Blecker

Robert A. Blecker is a Professor of Economics at the American University (AU) in Washington, DC, affiliated with the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), School of International Service (SIS), and Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS). He also holds positions as a Research Associate at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and a Fellow of the Forum for Macroeconomics and Macroeconomic Policies (FMM). His expertise spans international trade, open economy macroeconomics, global trade imbalances, and U.S. trade policy, with a focus on North American integration and the Mexican economy. Blecker advocates for heterodox (post-Keynesian and structuralist) approaches to economics, emphasizing the limitations of export-led growth strategies in developing countries.

Blecker earned his B.A. in Economics from Yale University in 1978 and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University in 1983 and 1987, respectively. He studied at El Colegio de México under a Fulbright-Hays scholarship. His career at AU began in 1985, during which he chaired the Economics Department (2008–2012) and received AU awards for outstanding teaching (2005) and service (2014).

His research integrates neo-Kaleckian and Kaldorian models to analyze demand-led growth, wage and profit dynamics, and the balance-of-payments constraint. Key themes include the impact of real exchange rates, global trade imbalances, and the political economy of trade agreements like NAFTA/USMCA. He collaborates with scholars such as Mark Setterfield and Carlos A. Ibarra, and his work bridges theoretical contributions with policy-oriented analyses, including critiques of neoliberal trade policies and financialization.

• Recent articles explore monopolistic competition, real exchange rates, and feminist macroeconomic perspectives.
• He critiques the fallacy of composition in export-led growth and emphasizes the importance of macroeconomic policies in shaping demand and distribution.

Blecker’s awards include recognition for his 2022 book chapter on Mexico and his FMM Fellowship. His teaching focuses on international economics, macroeconomics, and political economy. He advocates for pluralistic economics education and remains active in global academic and policy communities.