[1] His bond with economic studies started with the degree he got in 1957 from Bocconi University, Milan, being awarded top marks and distinction.
From 1969 to 1973 he took the chair of Economics at the University of Padua, leaving for a one-year visiting period at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.)
Mario Arcelli was appointed in 1995 member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, one of the world most important academic institutions.
In those roles he was part of the Italian delegation to five G7 summits, held in Versailles, Williamsburg, Venice, Toronto and Paris.
[citation needed] At the Christmas 2001 mass in St Peter's, Rome, Arcelli read the address to Pope John Paul II, as representative of the Italian universities.