Alí R. Bustamante, Ph.D.

Professional experience includes serving as director of the Roosevelt Institute's Worker Power and Economic Security program, chief economist at the Louisiana Workforce Commission (Department of Labor), senior research associate for the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP), principal at Impact Econ Research, and as a senior research affiliate with the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy (RISEP) at Florida International University.

I have served as faculty at the University of New Orleans Department of Economics and Finance, the Florida International University Green School of International and Public Affairs Department of Economics and the Center for Labor Research and Studies, the Loyola University New Orleans Jesuit Social Research Institute, and at the Miami Dade College School of Business.

My work focuses on ensuring that every American can shape their own future, free from economic barriers tied to race, gender, religion, or place. I contend that advocating for the government's active role in coordinating markets can promote broad economic prosperity and advance social trust in our democracy by directly addressing critical issues like climate change and declining life quality and expectancy. My vision involves developing policies - i.e. public options, strong regulatory environments, and conditionality in public investments - that demonstrate how government intervention in markets can enhance both economic growth and equity when compared to individual-focused interventions and disinvestment in government capacity. 

My research and analysis has been featured on The New York Times, USA Today, NPR, CNN, Forbes, Barron's, Christian Science Monitor, Charities USA, Miami Herald, and other media outlets.