| M. Shahid Alam | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Residence | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Citizenship | Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Fields | Economics |
| Institutions | Karachi University Northeastern University |
| Alma mater | University of Karachi University of Dhaka University of Western Ontario |
Muhammad Shahid Alam, D.Phil, is a Pakistani economist, academic, and noted social scientist. He is a Professor of Economics at Northeastern University, Boston. He is on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Policy Research & Development, London.[1]
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Alam was born in Bangladesh, moving to Pakistan in 1971[2] following the creation of Bangladesh from East Pakistan. He holds a BA from the University of Dhaka, MA from the University of Karachi, and Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario[3] (1979[2]). His brothers, veteran flying ace of the Pakistan Air Force Air Commodore Muhammad Mahmood Alam and particle physicist Dr. M. Sajjad Alam, are also among notable Pakistanis.
Alam's academic writings focus, among other things, on the economic effects of Western foreign and economic policies on formerly colonized states. He writes 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. 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, and for supporting an academic boycott of Israel.[4]
He has published many books, including Poverty from the Wealth of Nations (Macmillan, 2000), Governments and Markets in Economic Development Strategies (Praeger: 1989), Is There An Islamic Problem (Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press, 2004), republished in 2007 as Challenging the New Orientalism (IPI: 2007), and most recently, Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism (Palgrave Macmillan: 2009). He is also a regular contributor to CounterPunch magazine.
Books
Selected Academic Articles and Papers
Articles in Popular Media