Erasmus Kersting is a professor of economics and the acting chair of the Department of Economics at the Villanova School of Business. His research is in the fields of development and international economics, international relations, as well as macroeconomics. Kersting's latest projects explore how American politics determine the degree of U.S. influence in international financial institutions and the impact of World Bank lending on financial markets in recipient countries. His research has been published in a range of academic journals, including International Organization, the European Economic Review, the Journal of Development Economics, the Review of International Organizations, the Review of Economic Dynamics, the Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, and the Canadian Journal of Economics. Kersting is a native of Germany and holds a degree in economics from the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. He earned his doctorate in economics from Texas A&M University.