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Clara E. Mattei (born 1988[1]) is anItalian economist and academic, specializing in the history ofcapitalism and the interplay betweeneconomic theories and technocratic policymaking.[2][3] Since February 2025, she has served asProfessor of Economics and Director of the Forum for Real Economic Emancipation at theUniversity of Tulsa,Oklahoma.[4]
Mattei earned her Bachelor of Arts degree inPhilosophy from theUniversity of Cambridge, followed by a Master of Arts in Philosophy from theUniversity of Pavia.[5] She completed a joint Ph.D. in Economics at theSant'Anna School of Advanced Studies inPisa and theUniversité de Strasbourg's École Doctorale Augustine Cournot. Her dissertation, titled"Market Fetishism and Repressive Politics in European Austerity Thinking after WWI (1918-1925)" examined the historical implementation ofausterity policies in post-World War I Europe.[6]
Prior to her appointment at the University of Tulsa, Mattei was an Associate Professor in the Economics Department atThe New School for Social Research inNew York City. During the 2018-2019 academic year, she was a member of the School of Social Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study inPrinceton. Her research focuses on the history of capitalism, particularly the relationship between economic ideas and technocratic policy implementation.[3][7]
In November 2022, Mattei published her first book,The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism, through theUniversity of Chicago Press. The work investigates the origins of austerity policies following World War I and their role as a reaction against alternatives to capitalism. The book was recognized by theFinancial Times as one of the ten best economics books of 2022,[8] has been translated into over ten languages, and received the 2023Herbert Baxter Adams Prize from theAmerican Historical Association.[9]
In November 2023, Mattei released her first book written in Italian,L’economia è politica: Tutto quello che non vediamo dell’economia e che nessuno racconta, published by Fuori Scena. The book was released in English under the titleEscape from Capitalism in 2026.[10]
Her scholarly articles have appeared in journals such as theCambridge Journal of Economics, theJournal of the History of Economic Thought, and theEuropean Journal of the History of Economic Thought. Additionally, she has contributed to media outlets includingThe Guardian,Jacobin,The Nation, and the Italian newspaperIl Fatto Quotidiano.[5][3]
Mattei's research examines post-World War I monetary and fiscal policies, the history of economic thought, and methodology. Her current project critically reassesses theGolden Age of Capitalism (1945-1975) and itsKeynesianism through the lens of austerity capitalism.[11]
Mattei is the grandniece of Italiancommunistresistance fighters Gianfranco andTeresa "Chicci" Mattei.[citation needed]
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