Scott Barrett

Focus areas: International Cooperation, Treaties and Customary Law, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Infectious Diseases

Scott Barrett’s research explains the reasons why international cooperation succeeds or fails. He has applied this research to a number of topics, including climate change, biodiversity conservation, infectious disease eradication, and ocean governance. Most of his research focuses on the design of treaties and international negotiations. In new work, he has developed a theory of customary international law. His books include Environment and Statecraft: The Strategy of Treaty Making and Why Cooperate? The Incentive to Supply Global Public Goods, both published by Oxford University Press. He has received numerous prizes for his work, and has also played a number of roles in the policy arena, including as lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, senior lead advisor to the Task Force on Global Public Goods, and member of the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group on malaria eradication. He is spending the 2026-2027 academic year on sabbatical at Oxford University.

Education

• PhD in Economics, London School of Economics
• MA in Economics, University of British Columbia
• BS, summa cum laude, in Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Honors and Awards

• Member, National Academy of Sciences
• Centennial Professor, London School of Economics (2022-2025)
• Fellow, Association of Environmental and Resource Economics
• Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of Bath, UK