About

Richard Cooper was the Maurits C. Boas Professor of International Economics at Harvard University. He was a member of the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Executive Panel of the US Chief of Naval Operations, and the Brookings Panel on Economic Activity. He served in several roles within the US Government, including chairman of the National Intelligence Council from 1995 to 1997, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs from 1977 to 1981, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Monetary Affairs from 1965 to 1966, and senior staff economist at the Council of Economic Advisers from 1961 to 1963. His academic background includes studying at the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar and earning his Ph.D. at Harvard University. His research and contributions focus on international economics, macroeconomic management, and economic policy, with notable publications on economic crises, resource policies, and future economic outlooks.

Research topics

• Political science
• Economics
• Development economics
• Business
• International trade

Selected publications

• Issues For Trade Policy in The Seventies

  Mohr Siebeck eBooks · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  book1st authorCorresponding

  Unrevised ebook edition 2025

  PublisherDOI

• Controlling Controversy: 1995–1997

  2019-06-20

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract As a leading international economist with prior high-level policy experience, Richard Cooper brought to the National Intelligence Council chairmanship an unusual level of authority on economic issues. This proved valuable in internal policy disputes over Japan’s financial situation, in which the NIC successfully challenged the Treasury Department’s assessment. His tenure also saw the challenges of dealing with the former Yugoslavia after the Dayton Accords brokered a tenuous peace, as well as the NIC’s first foray into nontraditional security issues such as climate change. Finally, the NIC published an influential report called Global Trends 2010, looking out 15 years to anticipate future challenges—and initiating a series of reports issued by the NIC every four years thereafter.

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• An Analysis of Currency Devaluation in Developing Countries 1

  2018-03-15 · 3 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Currency devaluation is one of the most dramatic – even traumatic – measures of economic policy that a government may undertake. The point can be made geometrically in terms of demand elasticities, indicating whether the balance improves or deteriorates in domestic and foreign currency. A similar problem arises for net creditors when the value of their foreign claims is reduced in terms of local currency by devaluation abroad or revaluation of the home currency. The objective should be to maximise net returns on exporting, and in these circumstances some lowering of export prices in terms of foreign currency will be desirable to stimulate foreign purchases. There are many questions that one can ask about the consequences of devaluation and its associated package of policies, which may have profound effects upon the allocation of resources, growth, and the distribution of income in developing economies.

  PublisherDOI

• 14. Can China’s High Growth Continue?

  Harvard University Press eBooks · 2018-08-25

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• CAN CHINA’S HIGH GROWTH CONTINUE?

  Harvard University Press eBooks · 2018-01-15 · 2 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
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• The Case for Pricing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

  The MIT Press eBooks · 2017-06-09 · 4 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Rich people, poor countries: : The rise of emerging-market tycoons and their mega firms

  Foreign Affairs · 2016-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• Climate change: : What everyone needs to know

  Foreign Affairs · 2016-01-01 · 82 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• Of limits and growth: : The rise of global sustainable development in the twentieth century

  Foreign Affairs · 2016-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan.

  Foreign Affairs · 2016-01-01 · 71 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
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Frequent coauthors

• Jeffrey D. Sachs

  8 shared

• Rüdiger Dornbusch

  7 shared

• Jagdish N. Bhagwati

  6 shared

• Robert Z. Lawrence

  6 shared

• Paúl Krugman

  6 shared

• Barry Eichengreen

  University of California, Berkeley

  6 shared

• Michael D. Bordo

  6 shared

• Edwin M. Truman

  Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

  5 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Economics

  Harvard University

  1980

• B.A., Economics

  University of California, Berkeley

  1975

Awards & honors

• Member of the Trilateral Commission
• Member of the Council on Foreign Relations
• Member of the Executive Panel of the US Chief of Naval Opera…
• Member of the Brookings Panel on Economic Activity
• Chairman of the National Intelligence Council (1995-97)