Berdell's research interests are in the history of economics and international economics. Professor Berdell has published in the Economic Journal, the Journal of Economic Perspectives, the International Trade Journal and the European Journal of the History of Economic Thought. He is the author of "International Trade and Economic Growth in Open Economies: The Classical Dynamics of Hume, Smith, Ricardo and Malthus". Professor Berdell is a recipient of the Hellen Potter Award of Special Recognition from the Association for Social Economics for the best article appearing in the Review of Social Economy. He was also awarded the Isaac Sherman Post-Graduate Fellowship by the Rochester Economics Faculty.