Ralitza Dimova

Professor Ralitza Dimova is a development economist at the University of Manchester's Global Development Institute, specializing in labor market issues in developing countries with focus on Francophone West Africa and Middle East/North Africa. Her research examines intra-household decision making and social norms affecting labor outcomes and food security using behavioral field experiments.

She holds a PhD in Economics from Catholic University of Leuven and has held research positions in France, Germany, and the US. Her fieldwork involves rural communities in Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Ghana, studying household economic behavior and policy impacts.

Current research projects include:

• Making migration policy decisions amidst societal transformations (Horizon Europe)
• Formal childcare and women's labor participation in Jordan (World Bank)
• Dams 2.0: Resilient interventions in water-energy-food environments (GCRF)
• Household preferences and child labor in Ivory Coast (British Academy/Leverhulme)
• Youth labor market inequality in Arab world (ILO)

Her research interests focus on labor market dynamics, intra-household resource allocation, behavioral economics in development contexts, and social norm influences on economic decisions.

Professor Dimova supervises PhD research in development microeconomics and has guided doctoral projects on intergenerational transfers in Vietnam, climate adaptation in West Africa, female labor participation in Jordan, gender dynamics in Uganda, social exclusion in Indonesia, entrepreneurship in Nigeria, financial development in Nigeria, mobile money in Kenya, and educational access in Ghana. She teaches development economics and advises international organizations including IZA Bonn.