Jamshid Damooei, PhD

Jamshid Damooei, Ph.D. is a professor and the director of the undergraduate economics program and executive director of the Center for Economics of Social Issues (CESI) at California Lutheran University. Prior to joining the Cal Lutheran faculty, Damooei served as a senior economist for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In the early 1980s, he was the director general of the Department of Economic Studies and Policies of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance of Iran.

During the last 25 years, he has become more focused on the economic analyses of social issues. He has published in professional and popular journals and edited books on the subject. His research endeavors on the topic of investing in children resulted in publication of multiple pioneering studies on the economic impact of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in a number of states and metropolitan areas. In all of his recent studies on children, there is a strong emphasis on the impact of socioeconomic status of children on their academic performance, social behavior and opportunity to be successful in their lives as they grow up. 

Damooei received the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence from California Lutheran University in 2006 and the Provost Distinguished Scholar Award for the 2017-2018 academic year. The Huffington Post recognized him in 2017 as one of the Iranian-Americans who have made seminal contributions to their fields of endeavor.

He has served as a consultant for many organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs across various states, First 5, United Way, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, public health entities and various foundations within Ventura and Los Angeles counties. He recently completed three major studies for the Ventura County Community Foundation.

Damooei’s other scholarly work includes a broad spectrum of current social and economic issues such as: project design and evaluation, methods of capacity-building during time of crisis, crisis prevention and recovery, causes of economic imbalance, aid coordination, privatization of industries, financial problems, and economic and social-impact assessments of policies and institutions. He writes op-eds for a regional newspapers and is often interviewed by various news media. His views and commentaries on international economic issues are frequently sought by international media, including the BBC.

While Damooei worked at UNDP and later as an international consultant with UNDP and the United Nations Office of Project Services, he conducted a number of studies on the economic issues of Somalia and the Horn of Africa. His studies relate to the political instability and economic crises facing the area.