William Ascher (born January 3, 1947) is the Donald C. McKenna Professor of Government and Economics at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, where he served as academic vice president and dean of the faculty (2000–2005). Previously, as professor of

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, Ascher directed Duke University's Center for International Development Research (1985–2000). He studies strategic planning, policymaking in developing countries,

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

and environmental policy, Latin American and Asian

political economy Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...

political psychology Political psychology is an interdisciplinary academic field, dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective, and psychological processes using socio-political perspectives. The relation ...

, and forecasting methods. He has authored ''Forecasting: An Appraisal for Policymakers and Planners'' (1978), ''Scheming for the Poor: The Politics of Redistribution in Latin America'' (1984), ''Natural Resource Policymaking in Developing Countries'' (1990), ''Communities and Sustainable Forestry in Developing Countries'' (1994), ''Why Governments Waste Natural Resources'' (1999), and ''Bringing in the Future: Strategies for Farsightedness and Sustainability'' (2009). He co-authored or co-edited ''Strategic Planning and Forecasting'' (1983), ''Central American Recovery and Development'' (1989), ''The Caspian Sea: A Quest for Environmental Security'' (2000), ''Guide to Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy'' (2001), and ''Revitalizing Political Psychology'' (2005). Ascher currently serves as the Director of

Soka University of America Soka University of America (SUA) is a private liberal arts college in Aliso Viejo, California. Originally founded in 1987, it was established on its current campus in 2001 by Daisaku Ikeda, the founder of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist ...

's Pacific Basin Research Center and is a member of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

's Advisory Group on the

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is a global standard for the good governance of oil, gas and mineral resources. It seeks to address the key governance issues in the extractive sectors. The EITI Standard requires informa ...

External links

Personal websiteClaremont McKenna faculty profile
1947 births Living people Claremont McKenna College faculty American political scientists {{US-polisci-bio-stub