Ibrahim Shikaki | Associate Professor of Economics

Welcome! My name is Ibrahim Shikaki, Associate Professor of Economics at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. I am a macroeconomist working at the intersection of growth, distribution, and political economy, with a particular focus on Palestine. My scholarship is grounded in a heterodox tradition, i.e. drawing on diverse schools of thought within and beyond economics to challenge conventional wisdom that too often ignores power, history, and inequality. I study how economies in the Global South confront the structures of global capitalism, seeking to correct the limitations of mainstream macroeconomic analysis when applied to the political, social, and institutional realities of developing countries. Much of my work explores the political economy of Palestine, engaging theory, data, and history to examine dependency, inequality, and class formation.

In both research and teaching, I take an interdisciplinary approach, connecting economic theory with political economy, history of thought, and economic history. My courses highlight how economic ideas are never neutral but shaped by broader struggles. Whether in the classroom, in public debate, or through policy work, I aim to make economics a tool for critical inquiry and for imagining more just futures. Beyond academia, I engage in public talks, policy debates, and media discussions, driven by the conviction that economics should be accessible, critical, and socially relevant.)