Jamshid Damooei, Ph.D.

Professor and Director, Economics, Executive Director, Center for Economics of Social Issues

He/Him

damooei@callutheran.edu
(805) 493-3357
Peters Hall 205

Office Hours: By Appointment

About

Jamshid Damooei is a Professor of Economics, Director of Economics Program, and the Executive Director of the Center for Economics of Social Issues (CESI) at California Lutheran University. Prior to joining California Lutheran University, Dr. Damooei served as a Senior Economist for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Back in early 1980’s 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 two and a half decades he has become more focused on the economic analyses of social issues and published in professional and popular journals as well as books edited on such subjects/issues. His research endeavors on the topic of investing in children resulted in publication of multiple pioneering studies on the economic impact of Boys & Girls Clubs of America in a number of states and metropolitan areas within the USA. In all of his recent studies on children and youth, there is a strong emphasis on the impact of socio-economic status (SES) of children on their academic performance and social behavior and their opportunity to be successful in their lives as they grow up.

Professor Damooei was the recipient of the President Award for Teaching Excellence of the California Lutheran University in 2006. In 2017 he was recognized by Huffington Post as an Iranian-Americans who have made seminal contributions to their fields of endeavour and he received the Provost Distinguished Scholar Award for 2017-18 academic year.

He served as a consultant for a number of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs across various states, Public Health, First 5, United Way, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, various foundations within Ventura and LA Counties, and a number of other non-profit organizations. Most recently, he has completed three major studies for the Ventura County Community Foundation.

His 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 imbalances, aid coordination, privatization of industries, monetary and financial problems, and economic and social impact assessments of policies or institutional establishments.

While he worked at UNDP and later as an international consultant with UNDP and the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) he conducted a number of studies on economic issues of Somalia and the Horn of Africa. His studies relate to the economic and political issues of the area faced with political instability and economic crises. He writes op-eds a number of regional newspapers and he is often interviewed by various news media. His views and commentaries on international economic issues are frequently sought by international media such as BBC and other international radios and televisions.

Education

1981 Ph.D. in Economics, Department of Economics,University ofSurrey,Surrey,England.

1977 M.Phil in Economics, Department of Political Economy, University College London (UCL) University of London, London, England, Transferred to PhD Program.

1975 M.Sc. in Economics, Department of Economics,University of Surrey,Surrey,England.

1972 B.Sc. in Economics, Department of Economics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Expertise

Economic Analyses of Social Issues

Public Policy Analyses
International Economics
Evaluation of Projects/Programs
Economic and Social Impact Assessment
Study of Quality of Life Issues

Publications

Recent Papers, Studies, and Reports (Since 2020): For More Information See the C.V.

· Examining Child Deprivation Across California and How It Could Be Addressed with Early Childhood Education” Coauthored with Ruslan Korchagin, Published in California Journal of Politics and Policy (CJPP) Vol. 15, Issue 1, Institute of Government Studies UC Berkeley and CSU Sacramento, February 2023.

Link: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6b67z7ng

· Lessons from COVID-19 and Its Impact on Reallocation of Resources: A Cross Country Comparison in Search of a Global Perspective. In Nezameddin Faghih, Amir Forouharfar (Eds.), Socioeconomic Dynamics of the COVID-19 Crisis: Global, Regional and Local. (PP 127-174). Springer, March 2022

Link to Book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-89996-7

Link to the Paper: https://ideas.repec.org/h/spr/conchp/978-3-030-89996-7_7.html

· Can President Biden Restore Hope, Narrow the Division Among Opposing Groups, and Build a Better America? Published online in Globalization for the Common Good Initiative, UK, February 2021.

Can President Biden Restore Hope, Narrow the Division Among Opposing Groups, and Build a Better America?

· Demographic Profile and Economic Impact of Undocumented Immigrants in California, February 2024. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PtTCXSdAF6k01LjTFbzwM5sS-8fHhvrX/view

· Undocumented Immigrants and Their Economic Impact On the Central Coast of California: A Close Look Into Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, February 2023, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IsGYNu26I2Wd3t7tUDofFMeBd1uaYtpR/view

· Economic Impact of Community Colleges in Ventura County: Showing the contribution of community colleges in boosting the regional economy, enhancing the ability of their graduates to improve their lives, and serving the common good of the community in Ventura County and beyond, (February 2022): https://www.vcccd.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf_document/2022/Economic%20Impact%20of%20Community%20Colleges%20in%20Ventura%20County.pdf

· Transfer of Wealth in Ventura County: Using the Existing and the Emerging Philanthropic Giving to Strengthen the Quality of Life in Ventura County for the Next Fifty Years, A Study Commissioned by Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF), Revised in Feb 2022. https://vccf.org/transfer-of-wealth/

Full Report: https://vccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/study-of-transfer-of-wealth-in-ventura-county_revised2022.pdf

· Digital Divide Within the SCAG Region: Depiction of the Existing Digital Access Within Six Counties of the Region and Across Selected Demographic Indicators in Each Zip Code, January 2022.

· Digital Divide Within the SANDAG Region: Depiction of the Existing Digital Access San Diego County Across Selected Demographic Indicators in Each Zip Code, January 2022.

· Digital Divide Within Santa Barbra County: Depiction of the Existing Digital Access Santa Barbara County Across Selected Demographic Indicators in Each Zip Code, March 2022.

· Evaluation Human Trafficking Task Force Led by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, ongoing, several reports have been prepared, and the final report is scheduled for September 2022.

· PROFILE OF COVID-19, COMMUNITY, BUSINESS, NONPROFIT & WORKER IMPACTS: Informing an Inclusive & Equitable Economic Recovery in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, August 2021

Executive Summer: https://edcollaborative.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Executive-Summary-Profile-of-COVID-19-Community-Business-Nonprofit-and-Worker-Impacts.pdf

Full Report:: https://www.edcollaborative.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Profile-of-COVID-19-Community-Business-Nonprofit-Worker-Impacts.pdf

Looking into the Imperative of Creating a Universal High-Quality Early Childhood Education in Ventura County: An Essential Step towards Creating A Better Tomorrow for All, Commissioned by Ventura County Community Foundation, March 2019. A revised version was completed by April 2021.

· The Future of Caregiving for an Aging Population: Increasing Community and Economic Vitality in Ventura County, Commissioned by Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF), January 2019. https://vccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/vccf-ltc-final.pdf

· State of Region Report, commissioned and sponsored by the Civic Alliance of Ventura County, Expected in November 2021.

· Domestic Violence and Process Evaluation of the Newly Established Family Justice Center in Ventura County, in collaboration with Molly George and Abell, Leslie, September 2021.

· Economic Impact of California Lutheran University: A report on the contributions of Cal Lutheran, a leading nonprofit in Ventura County that boosts regional output and job creation and generates tax revenue for all three levels of government; Copy of Report on Cal Lutheran President’s Office Page: https://www.callutheran.edu/president/documents/Cal-Lutheran-Economic-Impact-Report-2020.pdf (Released on 2020).

· Looking into the Imperative of Creating a Universal High-Quality Early Childhood Education in Ventura County: An Essential Step towards Creating A Better Tomorrow for All, Commissioned by Ventura County Community Foundation, March 2019. A revised version was completed by April 2021.

Recent Op-Ed Since 2020:

· Coronavirus reveals the insanity of the global economic system.

https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/03/25/guest-columnist-coronavirus-reveals-insanity-global-economic-system/2910376001/

· Real reason for US’s slow response to the

https://vcreporter.com/2020/04/power-to-speak-the-real-reason-for-the-u-s-s-slow-response-to-the-pandemic/

· COVID-19 is proving that poverty is a human-made lethal disease that can only be cured by improving our economic system and allowing for greater cooperation to prevail on a global scale.

https://www.pacbiztimes.com/2020/04/24/damooei-poverty-is-a-lethal-human-made-disease/

· Going back to normal is not an option when the pandemic is over. We need to create a new normal that can respond to our needs.

https://amp.vcstar.com/amp/5276400002

· Trust in our leaders to steer us out of the crisis is lacking: Opening up has to be done cautiously based on our ability to protect people, as has been done in those countries that have successfully opened up.

https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/07/11/trust-our-leaders-steer-us-out-crisis-lacking/5398931002/

· A tale of Two Counties: Jointly written with Gerhard Apfelthaler

https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/10/10/guest-editorial-a-tale-of-two-counties/5925430002/

· Build unity by finding common ground to address problems https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/11/21/guest-editorial-build-unity-by-finding-common-ground-address-problems/3768103001/

· Cash assistance to American families — myth vs. reality https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2021/01/09/guest-column-cash-assistance-american-families-myth-vs-reality/6567392002/

· Helping families is an economic necessity and moral imperative https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2021/02/27/helping-families-is-economic-necessity-and-moral-imperative/4567720001/

Give American middle-and low-income earners a break. https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2021/04/03/guest-editorial-give-american-middle-and-low-income-earners-a-break/4842272001/

· Taxing and investing in our future is essential.

https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2021/06/12/guest-editorial-taxing-and-investing-essential-our-future/7640369002/

· K-shaped recovery calls for bottom-up response

https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/editorials/2021/08/07/guest-column-k-shaped-recovery-calls-bottom-up-response/5392594001/

· Diversity gains call for greater investment in underserved communities