Stephen L. Parente is an associate professor of economics at the University of Illinois. Since receiving his Ph.D., he has taught at Georgetown University, Northeastern University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Illinois. He is an affiliate of the Center for North and South Research (CRENoS) located at the University of Cagliari. He has served as an assistant editor for Economic Theory and is a member of the Society for Economic Dynamics. Dr. Parente's research primarily seeks to understand why some countries are so much richer than others.