Carlo Lottieri studied Philosophy in Genoa and Sociology in Geneva (Institut Universitaire d’Etudes Européennes) and Paris, where he obtained a D.E.A. and a Ph.D. at the University of Paris IV (Sorbonne). His thesis was written under the direction of Raymond Boudon and his topic was «Idéologie et science dans la sociologie politique de Gaetano Mosca».
In the period 1985-1988 he worked in Milan for the CREA (Centro Ricerche Economiche Applicate) directed by Antonio Martino.
In 1989 he received a Claude Lambe Fellowship from the Institute of Humane Studies (Fairfax, VA), in 1990 a fellowship from the European Council and in 1991 another one from the Murst (Italian department of the universitarian education).
Since 1994 to 1997 he was a collaborator of the chair of Political Sociology (prof. V. Belohradsky, University of Trieste) and in 1999 he became Assistant Researcher in Philosophy of Law in the University of Siena. He taught Sociology and Economics at the ISC (Istituto Superiore di Comunicazione) of Milan in the period 1997-1999.
In 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 he has been in the Faculty of the seminars organized in Gummersbach (Germany) by the IES (Institute for Economic Studies).
In 2001 he became adjunct fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute (Auburn, AL).
He has been Editorial Director of the journal «Federalismo & Libertà» (Milan) and  with Luigi Marco Bassani and Mauro Maldonato  he edits a books collection about the history of political ideas («Sfere della libertà», Guida).
He is author of two books and many articles. He edited the translation of works of Bastiat, Molinari, Rothbard, Trenchard and Gordon, Hoppe and other thinkers of the libertarian tradition.