Stephen R. Lewis, Jr.

Areas of Expertise

Economics, fiscal policy, industrialization and trade policy, the economics and politics of Southern Africa

Biography

Stephen R. Lewis, Jr. is president emeritus and professor of economics emeritus at Carleton College, where he served as president from 1987 to 2002. He began senior administrative experience at Williams College, where he twice served as provost of the college (1968 to 1971 and 1973 to 1977).

In 1975, Lewis began a long association with Botswana, serving as economic consultant to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning on a resident basis in 1977–78 and 1980–82, on short-term assignments from 1975 to 1988, and occasionally since then. With Charles Harvey, he coauthored Policy Choice and Development Performance in Botswana (1990). Lewis also edited Q.K.J. Masire’s Very Brave or Very Foolish? Memoirs of an African Democrat ( 2006). Lewis was awarded the Presidential Order of Meritorious Service by the Botswana Government in 1983.

As a result of his work in Southern Africa, Lewis was asked by the Council on Foreign Relations to analyze the South African economy, which resulting in his 1990 book The Economics of Apartheid. His work on fiscal issues in developing countries resulted in several articles and a textbook, Taxation for Development (1984).

Lewis is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the dean’s advisory council of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He is a trustee of William Mitchell College of Law and vice chairman of the board of trustees of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is chairman of RiverSource Funds and a director of Valmont Industries, Inc., and a consultant to The Presidential Practice, which provides counsel to newly elected college presidents. Lewis has received honorary degrees from Williams College; Carleton College; Macalester College; Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan; and Lingnan University in Hong Kong.

Lewis holds a bachelor's degree from Williams College and a doctorate in economics from Stanford University.

Resume (PDF)

Learn More About Our Top-ranked Public Policy, Public Affairs + Planning Degree Programs:

• Master of Public Policy (MPP)
• Master of Development Practice (MDP)
• Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
• Master of Science in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (MS–STEP)
• Mid-career Master of Public Affairs (MPA)
Dual degrees with the schools of management (MPP/MBA), law, social work, public health, landscape architecture, and civil engineering Executive education, including a nonprofit management certificate