David Skarbek

I am the Michael Targoff Professor of Political Economy at Brown University. My work studies the political economy of institutions and development, with a focus on criminal governance. My research has appeared in journals in criminology, economics, and political science, and I've published two award-winning books, both with Oxford University Press. 

I am also the inaugural Director of the Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Brown. The world faces a wide range of pressing problems—from economic stagnation and political upheaval to technological disruptions and environmental disasters. These challenges are multifaceted and complex, defying simple solutions. In my view, PPE is not just the addition of insights from three separate disciplines, but a unified methodological approach that reflects their original integration—where institutional analysis, economic modeling, and normative theorizing are practiced as part of a single, coherent inquiry into human action. At Brown, we are building expansive and varied courses, programs, and events to advance this intellectual agenda.