Torsten Persson is Director of the IIES at Stockholm University, Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics, and has held visiting positions at leading universities as Harvard, Princeton and Berkeley. Persson is the 2008 President of the Econometric Society, and was President of the European Economic Association in 2003. His scientific prizes include the 1997 Yrjö Jahnsson Medal, given biannually to “the best young economist in Europe”. Persson’s work has spanned different areas, but he is most well-known for his articles and books on political economics. His current research focuses on development, civil war, and climate change.