Economist Esther Duflo’s research seeks to understand poverty and the economic lives of the poor, with the goal of shaping and bettering policies to improve economic well-being around the world. She is best known for her work on the microeconomics of economic development and the use of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the causal effects of social interventions on economic, educational, and health outcomes. With collaborators Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer, Duflo was awarded the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for introducing a new approach to fighting global poverty. Her award-winning 2011 book with Banerjee, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty, has been translated into 17 languages and even adapted into a children’s book.
Professional positions
- 2026–present: Lemann Foundation Professor of Economics, University of Zurich
- 2022–present: Chair of Poverty and Public Policy, Collège de France
- 2005–present: Cofounder and codirector, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 1999–2026: Assistant professor of economics (1999–2002), Castle Krob Career Development Associate Professor of Economics (2002–2004), full professor of economics (2004–2005), and Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics (2005–2026), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Notable publications
- Banerjee, Abhijit V., and Esther Duflo. 2019. Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems. PublicAffairs.
- Banerjee, Abhijit V., and Esther Duflo. 2011. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. PublicAffairs.
- Duflo, Esther. 2010. La politique de l’autonomie. Lutter contre la pauvreté, vol. 2. Éditions du Seuil.
- Duflo, Esther. 2010. Le développement humain. Lutter contre la pauvreté, vol. 1. Éditions du Seuil.
Degrees
- PhD, economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- MA, economics, DELTA
- Maîtrise, history and economics, École Normale Supérieure (Paris)
