Mariano Torras
Professor, Chair
Finance and Economics, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business
Hagedorn Hall of Enterprise 306
torrasm@adelphi.edu
PhD, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2000)
MA, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1995)
MA, Fordham University (1993)
BS, New York University (1988)
ADELPHI UNIVERSITY, School of Business
• Chair, Department of Finance and Economics, 2013 to present
• Professor of Economics, 2010 to present
• Associate Professor of Economics, 2005 to 2010
• Assistant Professor of Economics, 1999 to 2005
TUFTS UNIVERSITY, Global Development and Environment Institute
• Senior Research Fellow, July 2012 to present
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, Institute for Latino Studies
• Visiting Fellow, November 2007 to present
ZOTA CONSULTING
• President
• Economist and consultant, 2007 to present
POLITICAL ECONOMY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Inc.
• Research Scholar, 2007 to 2010
RANDAZZO & GIFFORDS, Inc.
• Consultant and Expert Witness, 2001 to 2008
KARDISCH, LINK, & ASSOCIATES, Inc.
BROOKLYN FREE SCHOOL, Inc.
• Treasurer and Trustee, 2004 to present
• Chief Administrator and Bookkeeper, 2003 to 2010
• Volunteer Instructor (Economics, Math, Chess, and Spanish), 2004 to 2010
• Founding Member
CENTER FOR POPULAR ECONOMICS
• Consultant and Staff Economist, 1995 to 2000
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, School of Continuing and Professional Studies
• Adjunct Professor of Economics, 1998
» Politics of International Economic Relations
» International Environmental Economics
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST, College of Behavioral Sciences
• Lecturer in Political Economy of the Environment, 1997
• Instructor in Graduate review course in Mathematical Economics, 1995
• Research Assistant to Professor James Boyce, 1995 to 1997
• Teaching Assistant in Introductory Micro and Macroeconomics, 1994 to 1995
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Research Assistant to Professor Dominick Salvatore, 1992 to 1993
• PC support, 1991 to 1992
WILLIAMS, THACHER, & RAND, Inc.
• Benefits Analyst, 1990 to1991
CORROON & BLACK, Inc.
• Defined Contribution Technician, 1989 to1990
As a child I was fascinated with how the world works (and doesn't!) but was not further stimulated on related subjects while in school. Only after graduating college (as a finance major) did I begin to appreciate how economics is fundamental to pretty much all of the world's issues and problems, and started to get into it more through heavy reading, culminating in my pursuit of graduate study -- first in the social sciences then in economics proper. My research is primarily in the areas of ecological, development, and -- most recently -- institutional economics, and I have been teaching at Adelphi since 1999. My free time is absorbed by playing chess, reading novels, and being with my wife and three children.
First Year Seminar: Progress And Its Discontents
Research: ecological economics, development, institutional economics, political economy, leisure studies
Teaching: development, environmental economics, price system, national economy, microeconomic analysis, senior capstone seminar, history of economic thought, econometrics
I do not believe in grades, as I believe that their assignment impedes student learning. (Still, I am required to assign them). I try to engage my students in conversation and try to impress upon them the importance of theory, methodology, and critical (as opposed to formulaic?) thinking. I'd say I have better success in some instances than in others...
My research is in the areas of well-being assessment, environmental and natural resource accounting, dematerialization trends, and links between power inequality and health outcomes (as well as other socioeconomic variables). Most recently I am doing research on a widespread societal quantity bias, and I am tracing its origins to neoclassical economics and the advent of macroeconomic statistics mid-20th century.
Goodwin, N., J. Harris, J. Nelson, B. Roach, and M. Torras (2014). Macroeconomics in Context, 2nd edition, M.E. Sharpe.
Goodwin, N., J. Harris, J. Nelson, B. Roach, and M. Torras (2014). Microeconomics in Context, 3rd edition, M.E. Sharpe.
Goodwin, N., J. Harris, J. Nelson, B. Roach, and M. Torras (2014). Principles of Economics in Context, M.E. Sharpe.
Torras, M. (2003). Welfare, Inequality, and Resource Depletion: A Reassessment of Brazilian Economic Growth, 1965-1998. Aldershot & Burlington, United Kingdom: Ashgate Press.
Hazy, J., S. Moskalev, and M. Torras (2009). Mechanisms of Social Value Creation: A Complexity Science Perspective on Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In J. Goldstein, J. Hazy, and J. Silberstang (Eds.). Complexity Science and Social Entrepreneurship: Adding Social Value Through Systems Thinking. (pp. 257-281). Litchfield Park, AZ: ISCE Publishing.
Torras, M. (2009). Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, and the Environmental "Big Push": Some Remarks. In J. Goldstein, J. Hazy, and J. Silberstang (Eds.). Complexity Science and Social Entrepreneurship: Adding Social Value Through Systems Thinking. (pp. 215-229). Litchfield Park, AZ: ISCE Publishing.
Torras, M., and J.K. Boyce (2002). Rethinking the Environmental Kuznets Curve. In J.K. Boyce (Eds.). The Political Economy of the Environment. (pp. 47-66). Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar.
Torras, M. (2016), Uncertainty about Uncertainty: The Futility of Benefit-Cost Analysis for Climate Change Policy, Real World Economics Review 77: 11-25.
Torras, M. (2016), Orthodox Economics and the Science of Climate Change, Monthly Review 68(1): 25-34.
Torras, M., and G. Surie (2015), On the Quantity Bias in Economics, Journal of Economic Issues 49(4): 1028-1044.
Torras, M., S. Moskalev, J. Hazy, and A. Ashley (2011), An Econometric Analysis of Ecological Footprint and Ecological Deficit Determinants: Implications for Sustainability, International Journal of Sustainable Society 3(3): 258-75.
Hazy, J., S. Moskalev, and M. Torras (2010), Technology Leverage and Sustainable Society Systems: A Call for Technology Forecasting that Anticipates Innovation. International Journal of Society Systems Science, 3(1-2): 5-20.
Torras, M. (2010), Los Costes Encubiertos del Cuidado de los Niños. Psicopatología y Salud Mental en niños y adolescents (Psychopathology and Mental Health of Children and Adolescents), 16: 85-89.
Hazy, J., S. Moskalev, and M. Torras (2010), Mechanisms of Social Value Creation: A Dynamical Systems Perspective on Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation. International Journal of Society Systems Science, 2, 134-157.
Torras, M. (2008), The Subjectivity Inherent in Objective Measures of Well-Being, Journal of Happiness Studies 9(4): 475-487.
Hazy, J., Torras, M., and Ashley, A. (2008), Reconceptualizing Value Creation with Limited Resources, Journal of Technology Management and Innovation 3(3): 45-54.
Surie, G., and Torras, M. (2007), The Co‑evolution of Technology and Entrepreneurship: Lessons for Development from India and Korea, International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship 1(2): 183-206.
Torras, M. (2007), Environmental Damage and its Impacts on Inequality and Poverty: A Comparison of Brazil and Costa Rica, Journal of Income Distribution 16(2): 68-82.
Marchese P., M. Torras, and C. Dowlah (2006), The Effect ENSO has on the Economies of Countries in the Tropical Pacific, Eos Trans. AGU, 87(36), OS15D‑09.
Torras, M. (2006), The Impact of Power Equality, Income, and the Environment on Human Health: Some Inter-Country Comparisons, International Review of Applied Economics 20(1): 1-20.
Torras, M. (2006), Ecological Inequality in Assessing Well-Being: Some Applications, Policy Sciences 38: 205-224.
Torras, M. (2005), Political Ecology: Global, Historical, and Economic Perspectives—An Introduction, International Journal of Political Economy 34(1): 3-12.
Torras, M. (2005), The Impact of Ecological Inequality on National Well-Being: The Case of Brazil, 1965-1998, International Journal of Political Economy 34(1): 75-93.
Torras, M. (2005), Income and Power Inequality as Determinants of Environmental and Health Outcomes: Some Findings, Social Science Quarterly 86(S): 1354-1373.
Torras, M. (2003), Global Structural Change and its De‑materialization Implications, International Journal of Social Economics 30(6): 700-719.
Torras, M. (2003), An Ecological Footprint Approach to External Debt Relief, World Development 31(12): 2161-2171.
Torras, M. (2003), El Impacto de la Mala Distribución Ecológica en Relación al Bienestar Nacional: El Caso de Brasil, 1965-1998, Problemas del Desarrollo 34(134): 109-125.
Torras, M. (2002), Environmental Damage and the Mismeasure of Poverty and Inequality: Applications to Indonesia and the Philippines, Asian Development Review 19(2): 90-103.
Torras, M. (2001), Welfare Accounting And The Environment: Reassessing Brazilian Economic Growth,1965-1993, Development and Change 32(2): 205-229.
Torras, M. (2000), The Total Economic Value of Amazonian Deforestation, 1978-1993, Ecological Economics 33(2): 283-297.
Torras, M. (2000), Sustainability or Natural Capital 'Disinvestment?' A Retrospective on Brazilian Development, 1965-1993, Estudos Econômicos 30(3): 351-375.
Torras, M. (1999), Inequality, Resource Depletion, And Welfare Accounting: Applications to Indonesia and Costa Rica, World Development 27(7): 1191-1202.
Torras, M. (1998), Development Projects and Resource Depletion, Politica Internazionale 5 (Sept-Oct): 61-75.
Torras, M., and J.K. Boyce (1998), Income, Inequality, and Pollution: A Reassessment of the Environmental Kuznets Curve, Ecological Economics 25(2):147-160.
Mariano Torras (2011). In Search of a New Development Economics Paradigm: Progress beyond Neoliberalism. In Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE) meetings. Madrid, Spain.
Mariano Torras (2010). Climate Change, the Capitalist Crisis, and the Relevance of E.F. Schumacher's Ideas. In Union of Radical Political Economists (URPE) Summer Conference. High Falls, NY.
Mariano Torras (2010). Why E.F. Schumacher Still Matters. In Thirteenth World Congress on Social Economics, Concordia University. Montreal, CA.
Mariano Torras (2010). Chaired session on curriculum and the role of the teacher in a democratic free school. The Second North American Democratic Education Conference (NADEC), Albany Free School. Albany, NY.
Mariano Torras (2010). On the Usefulness of the Social Value Concept. In International Conference on Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity. Adelphi University.
Mariano Torras (2008). Economic Benefits of Immigrant Population. In Hispanic Business Development Conference. Cradle of Aviation Museum, Hemstead, NY.
Mariano Torras (2008). Economic Development and Social Value. In International Conference on Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity. Adelphi University.
Mariano Torras (2007). The Economic Impact of the Hispanic Population on Long Island, New York. In Somos el Futuro, Conference of the Hispanic Federation. Long Island, NY.
Mariano Torras (2006). The Political Economy of Contemporary Redistribution: Towards a Comprehensive Theoretical Model. In European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy. Istanbul, Turkey.
Mariano Torras and Curtis Skinner (2006). Kirchner, Lula, Chávez: The Political Economy of Contemporary Redistribution. In Latin American Studies Association International Congress. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Mariano Torras (2014, March). On Climate Change and Economics. New Explorations in Science, Technology, and Mathematics, New York, NY.
Mariano Torras (2010, May). Ethics of Economics and Ecology. Ethical Humanist Society, Garden City, NY.
Mariano Torras (2010, May). On the Usefulness of the Social Value Concept. International Conference on Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity.
Mariano Torras (2010, April). Economic Benefits of Immigrant Population. Touro College, Central Islip, NY.
Mariano Torras (2010, April). Economic Development and Social Value. International Conference on Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Thinking, and Complexity.
Mariano Torras (2008, October). Economic Benefits of Immigrant Population. Center for Social Innovation, Adelphi University.
Mariano Torras (2008, May). Economic Benefits of Immigrant Population. Forum on Immigration, Adelphi University.
Surie, G., and Torras, M. (2007), The Co evolution of Technology and Entrepreneurship: Lessons for Development from India and Korea, International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship 1(2): 183-206.
Torras, M. (2005), Ecological Inequality in Assessing Well-Being: Some Applications, forthcoming in Policy Sciences.
Torras, M. (2003), El Impacto de la Mala Distribución Ecológica en Relación al Bienestar Nacional: El Caso de Brasil, 1965-1998, Problemas del Desarrollo 34(134): 109-125
Torras, M. (2003), Global Structural Change and its De-materialization Implications, International Journal of Social Economics 30(6): 700-719.
Torras, M., and J.K. Boyce (1998), Income, Inequality, and Pollution: AReassessment of the Environmental Kuznets Curve, Ecological Economics 25(2):147-160.
- Bender Research Award for article entitled "The Subjectivity Inherent in Objective Measures of Well-Being," (published in 2008 in the Journal of Happiness Studies, vol. 9, no. 4), 2009 ($1,500).
- Bender Research Award for article entitled "Reconceptualizing Value Creation with Limited Resources," (published in 2008 in the Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, vol. 3, no. 3), 2009 ($1,500).
- Bender Research Award for Body of Work, spanning 2004 and 2006. Award ($18,000) for the years 2007-2009.
- Bender Research Award for article entitled "The Impact of Power Equality, Income, and the Environment on Human Health: Some Inter-Country Comparisons," (published in 2006 in International Review of Applied Economics, vol. 20, no. 1), 2007 ($1,500).
- Horace Hagedorn Foundation. Investigator on proposal to estimate the economic impact of the immigrant population on Long Island, 2007 ($47,700).
- Bender Research Award for article entitled "Income and Power Inequality as Determinants of Environmental and Health Outcomes: Some Findings" (published in 2005 in Social Science Quarterly, 86, special issue), 2007 ($1,500).
- Horace Hagedorn Foundation. Investigator on proposal to estimate the economic impact of the Hispanic population and undocumented immigrant workers on Long Island, 2006 ($32,300).
-City University of New York, Investigator on proposal to study economic effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), 2005 ($39,000).
-Adelphi University Faculty Development Award, 2002 ($2,700).
-Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, 1996 ($1,500).
-National Hispanic Scholarship Fund Fellow, 1992-1995 ($3900).
-Christina Seix Dow Fellowship, 1992-1993 ($6,000).
• Honors College, Kevin Wang, 'The Political Economics of Gentrification in New York City,' committee chair, Fall 2015-Spring 2016.
• Honors College, Anustha Shrestha, 'A Poor Landlocked Country or a Land of Economic Potential?' A Case Study of Nepal as a Developing Economy and its Successes and Failures,' committee chair, Fall 2014-Spring 2015.
• College of Arts and Sciences, Masters Thesis, Brittany LeMontagne, 'The Value of Improved Water Quality to Recreational Boaters in Long Island Sound,' reader, Fall 2011-Fall 2013.
• Honors College, Taylor Ross, 'An Exploration of Themes Involved in Newcomb's Paradox,' reader, Fall 2012-Spring 2013.
• Honors College, Ameena Rahman, 'A Study in Development Indicators: Composition and Efficacy,' committee chair, Fall 2012-Spring 2013.
• Honors College, Eric de la Haba, 'The Eurozone Sovereign Debt Crisis: An Econometric Analysis,' reader, Fall 2011-Spring 2012.
• Honors College, Chelsea Preister, 'Human Rationality and Economics,' reader, Fall 2011-Spring 2012.
• Honors College, Mihail Yanchev, 'Sustainability and Green Energy,' committee chair, Fall 2009-Spring 2010.
• Honors College, Svetla Marinova, 'The Greek Financial Crisis and the Future of the Eurozone,' reader, Fall 2009-Spring 2010.
• Honors College, Ekaterina Gospodinova, 'Economic Equality and Culture: A Simulation Model of Roma and Non-Roma Internal Migration,' reader, Fall 2009-Spring 2010.
• Honors College, Christian Fundo, 'Women's Emancipation in Albania,' reader, Fall 2006-Spring 2007.
• Honors College, Irina Kaufman, 'The Credit Industry in Post-Soviet Russia,' committee chair, Fall 2005-Spring 2006.
•	Honors College, Chris Pogan, 'Intellectual Property, Health, International Trade, and the Pharmaceutical Industry,' reader, Spring 2005.
• Economics Independent Study, Irina Puchkova, 'Challenges in Ukraine's Transition to a Market Economy,' mentor, Fall 2004.
•	Honors College, Angel Bogushev, 'Economic Problems with Bulgaria's Accession to the European Union,' committee chair, Fall 2003-Spring 2004.
•	Honors College, Shalinthia Miles, 'Financial Crisis in Argentina,' reader Spring 2004.
•	Honors College, Shinika Mason,	'HIV-Aids and Intellectual Property,' reader Spring 2004.
•	International Studies, Agnes Glaz, 'The Global Compact and Multinational Corporation Compliance,' mentor, Spring 2004
• History, Dmitriy Grigorenko, 'Extent of Ukraine's Continued Economic Dependence on Russia,' mentor, Spring 2004
• Honors College, Yevgeny Birzh, 'ISEW estimates for the U.S. during the 1990s,' committee chair, Fall 2002-Spring 2003
• Honors College, Matthew Garofalo, 'Private Ballparks, Public Dollars: A Complete Game,' committee chair, Fall 2002-Spring 2003
• Honors College, Uma Radhakrishnan, 'Incidence of Rural Poverty and Agricultural Performance in India: Current Debates and Findings,' reader, Spring 2003
• Honors College, Rebecca Grabino 'Adapting the Practice of Microfinancing to the United States: A Comparative Approach,' reader, Spring 2002
Honors and Accomplishments
-Bender Research Award for article (with Gita Surie) entitled "On the Quantity Bias in Economics," (published in 2015 in the Journal of Economic Issues, vol. 49, no. 4), 2016 ($1,500).
-Bender Research Award for article entitled "An Econometric Analysis of Ecological Footprint Determinants," (published in 2011 in the International Journal of Sustainable Society, vol. 3, no. 3), 2012 ($1,500).
-Bender Research Award for article entitled "Technology leverage and a sustainable society: a call for technology forecasting that anticipates innovation," (published in 2011 in the International Journal of Society Systems Science, vol. 3, no. 1/2), 2012 ($750).
-Bender Research Award for article entitled "Mechanisms of Social Value Creation: Extending Financial Modeling to Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation," (published in 2010 in the International Journal of Society Systems Science, vol. 2, no. 2), 2011 ($1,500).
-Bender Research Award for article entitled "The Subjectivity Inherent in Objective Measures of Well-Being," (published in 2008 in the Journal of Happiness Studies, vol. 9, no. 4), 2009 ($1,500).
-Bender Research Award for article entitled "Reconceptualizing Value Creation with Limited Resources," (published in 2008 in the Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, vol. 3, no. 3), 2009 ($1,500).
-Bender Research Award for Body of Work, spanning 2004 and 2006. Award ($18,000) for the years 2007-2009.
-Bender Research Award for article entitled "The Impact of Power Equality, Income, and the Environment on Human Health: Some Inter-Country Comparisons," (published in 2006 in International Review of Applied Economics, vol. 20, no. 1), 2007 ($1,500).
-Horace Hagedorn Foundation. Investigator on proposal to estimate the economic impact of the immigrant population on Long Island, 2007 ($47,700).
-Bender Research Award for article entitled "Income and Power Inequality as Determinants of Environmental and Health Outcomes: Some Findings" (published in 2005 in Social Science Quarterly, 86, special issue), 2007 ($1,500).
-Horace Hagedorn Foundation. Investigator on proposal to estimate the economic impact of the Hispanic population and undocumented immigrant workers on Long Island, 2006 ($32,300).
-City University of New York. Investigator on proposal to study economic effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), 2005 ($39,000).
-Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas, Maestro Jesús Silva Herzog award for best article of the year in Problemas del Desarrollo, 2004 (M$30,000)
-University of Massachusetts Fellowship, 1993-1994 ($6,000)
-Presidential Scholarship, 1991-1993 ($7,500)
-NYU Founders Day Award, 1988
-NYU Student-Athlete Achievement Award, 1988
-Guest editor of a symposium of Political Ecology for the International Journal of Political Economy.
- External Reviewer in tenure case for Bard College
-Manuscript Reviewer for:
Ecological Economics, Development and Change, World Development, Journal of Peace Research, Social Science Quarterly, International Journal of Society Systems Science, Journal of Hydrology, Journal of Environmental Informatics, and Journal of Environment and Development
-Reviewer of textbooks for:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Addison Wesley, Inc., Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
-Reviewer of Grant Proposals for:
BROOKLYN FREE SCHOOL, Inc. (www.brooklynfreeschool.org)
Treasurer, Chief Administrator and Trustee, 2004 to present
Volunteer Instructor in the areas of Economics, Math, Chess, and Spanish
Consultant and Staff Economist, 1995 to 2000