Caf Dowlah

CAF Dowlah is an economist, legal scholar, and author whose career has spanned academia, public policy, and international development. He served for more than three decades as Professor of Economics within the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY) systems, and has also taught at several universities in the United States and abroad. In addition to his academic appointments, he has been affiliated with the law schools of Fordham University, the University of Miami, and Columbia University. He also served for several years as a policy advisor and economic consultant to the United Nations and the World Bank.

Dr. Dowlah earned a Ph.D. in Economics, a Master of Arts in Economics, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Miami School of Law. His interdisciplinary scholarship bridges economics, law, public policy, and international affairs, reflecting a lifelong commitment to understanding the legal and institutional forces that shape global economic development.

A prolific scholar, Dr. Dowlah has authored more than three dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and over a dozen books on economics, international trade, globalization, labor mobility, economic sanctions, slavery, immigration law, and international law. His recent works include Transformations of Global Prosperity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), Foundations of Modern Slavery (Routledge, 2022), Cross-Border Labor Mobility (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024), Economic and Financial Sanctions of the United States: A Legal Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2025), and From Fulbright to the Supreme Court: An Immigrant Scholar's Journey Through Academia and the American Legal System—A Memoir (2026).

Across his academic and professional career, Dr. Dowlah has sought to illuminate the intersection of economics, law, and public policy, producing scholarship that combines rigorous analysis with historical perspective. His work continues to explore the legal, political, and economic institutions that shape nations, markets, and human mobility in an increasingly interconnected world.