Esther Duflo

Esther Duflo, born on October twenty-fifth, nineteen seventy-two, is a distinguished French-American economist renowned for her innovative contributions to the field of development economics. Currently, she holds the prestigious position of Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In recognition of her groundbreaking work, Duflo was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in two thousand nineteen, sharing this honor with her husband, Abhijit Banerjee, and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.

In addition to her academic role, Duflo is a co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), an influential research center at MIT that advocates for the use of randomized controlled trials in policy evaluation. By two thousand twenty, over four hundred million individuals had benefited from programs evaluated by J-PAL-affiliated researchers, showcasing the significant impact of her work.

Since two thousand twenty-four, Duflo has also served as the president of the Paris School of Economics, further solidifying her influence in the academic community. In October two thousand twenty-five, the University of Zurich announced that she and Banerjee would join the faculty of the UZH School of Business, Economics, and Informatics in July two thousand twenty-six.

Duflo's research interests encompass a wide range of topics within the microeconomics of development, including household behavior, education, financial inclusion, political economy, gender, and health. Her accolades include the Calvó-Armengol International Prize in two thousand nineteen, the Elaine Bennett Research Prize in two thousand two, and the John Bates Clark Medal in two thousand ten from the American Economic Association. Together with Banerjee, she co-authored the influential books 'Poor Economics' and 'Good Economics for Hard Times', published in April two thousand eleven and November two thousand nineteen, respectively.

Recognized as a leading voice in her field, Duflo is the seventh most frequently cited author on college syllabi for economics courses, reflecting her significant impact on the education of future economists.