Benigno Valdés is Professor of Economics and a former Vice-Dean of the ICADE Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) in Madrid, where he teaches Macroeconomic Theory and Policy. He holds a Degree of Licenciatura in Economics (1980) from the University of Oviedo (Spain), and M.A. (1983) and Ph.D. (1986) degrees in Economics from the University of New Hampshire, where he was a Fulbright Scholar for several years. Professor Valdés has also held teaching positions at Marquette University in Milwaukee, the University of Salamanca, the International Management Center (IMaC) at the Ecole Supérieur de Commerce de Rouen, the University of Oviedo, the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), the University of Massachusetts, and the University of New Hampshire. Dr Valdés has contributed articles to scientific journals on a number of topics, including the economics of technical change, applied econometrics, higher education, economic development and the history of economics. He is the author of the book Economic Growth: Theory, Empirics and Policy (Edward Elgar, 1999, 2000) and also a contributor to Spain’s major economic and political newspapers Expansión and La Razón. Professor Valdés is the recipient of various academic awards, including the Premio Extraordinario for the Degree of Licenciatura in Economics (University of Oviedo, 1980), the Fulbright Fellowship (from 1980 to 1993), the Elizabeth C. Bogan Award for Superior Scholarship (University of New Hampshire, 1982), the Marc Rich Foundation Fellowship (from 1990 to 1992) and the Teaching Prize for Economics (University of Salamanca, 1997). As an academic administrator, Dr Valdés has written about innovations in teaching; participated in the development and launching of new degrees; served on university curriculum committees; revised and updated program majors and degrees; conducted evaluations of existing programs; prepared assessments for new programs; negotiated contractual agreements with other institutions for the implementation of academic programs; chaired faculty committees; worked and consulted with diverse ethnic groups; written significant portions of the accreditation reviews; served on the academic governance committees responding to accreditation standards; hosted representatives from national and international educational institutions andagencies; negotiated, implemented and supervised a large number of international exchange programs for students and faculty. Currently, he is a member of the Committee for the Evaluation of University Professors at the University System in Madrid and an adviser to the Council of Education. An indefatigable traveller, Dr Valdés has visited many countries, often as an academic economist –and always as an interested observer. He lives in Madrid with his wife, Silvia, and their six-year old daughter, Adriana. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and hiking.