Ken E. Mitchell is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science and Sociology at Monmouth University, specializing in Latin American politics and political economy. His work examines globalization, social policy, and institutional reforms in Latin America. Education: Ph.D. from Oxford University His research focuses on Latin American Politics , Political Economy , and Globalization's impact on social policy . He has analyzed constitutional changes in party systems and policy diffusion across Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. Recent publications explore financial inclusion in Latin America, the resurgence of neoliberalism in Argentina, and comparative studies of cash transfer programs. His earlier work addressed state capacity reforms in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Tsuyoshi Arai is a Professor at the School of Commerce, Waseda University, specializing in Civil Law with a focus on Real Estate Law , Lease Law , and Environmental Law . His career spans multiple institutions, including Dokkyo University and Osaka Gakuin University. Doctoral Program in Civil Law, The University of Tokyo Master of Law, The University of Tokyo Waseda University School of Law alumni His research explores the intersection of Carbon Neutrality , Low-carbon Hydrogen , and legal frameworks, alongside Bank Transfer Fraud Relief Act compliance and Depositor Protection . Recent publications analyze Mortgage Enforcement , Rent Claims , and Climate Litigation dynamics. Key awards include the Waseda University Teaching Award President's Award (2025). Current projects examine Climate Change Governance and Personal Guarantees for Real Estate Tenants , while his teaching portfolio covers Civil Law and Business Law courses for diverse audiences. Real Estate Law Research (2024) : Textbook development for Overview of Real Estate Law Reexamination of Personal Guarantees (2022) : Advocating institutional guarantees over personal liability Climate Governance Projects (2023-2029) : Multilateral approaches to low-carbon energy systems
J. Lawrence Aber is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Psychology and Public Policy at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and holds the prestigious designation of University Professor at NYU. He serves as board chair of NYU's Institute of Human Development and Social Change and co-director of the international research center Global TIES for Children. Dr. Aber earned his PhD from Yale University and his AB from Harvard University. Prior to joining NYU, he taught at Barnard College and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, where he also directed the National Center for Children in Poverty. His research focuses on how poverty and violence at family and community levels impact children's social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive and academic development. He designs and evaluates innovative programs for children, youth and families in areas including violence prevention, literacy development, and welfare reform. Current research projects examine the impact of poverty and HIV/AIDS on children in South Africa, preschool teacher training in Ghana, and school-based interventions in conflict-affected countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Lebanon. Dr. Aber has received significant recognition for his work, including the 2025 SRCD Award for Distinguished Contributions to Understanding International, Cultural, and Contextual Diversity in Child Development. He previously served as Nannerl O. Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill, and as a Visiting Research Professor at the University of Oxford. He actively bridges research and policy, having been appointed by the NYC Mayor to the Commission for Economic Opportunity, serving as a consultant to the World Bank, and advising numerous public and private organizations on child and family well-being. Dr. Aber's research has resulted in numerous publications, including co-edited volumes such as 'Neighborhood Poverty: Context and Consequences for Children' and 'Child Development and Social Policy: Knowledge for Action,' as well as influential journal articles on child development in contexts of poverty and violence.
Harsha Thirumurthy is a Professor in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as Division Chief of Health Policy and is actively involved as Associate Director at the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, Research Associate at Penn’s Population Studies Center, and Co-Director of the Penn Development Research Initiative and the Behavioral Economics and Global Health Insights Lab. PhD in Economics, Yale University His research integrates economics and public health, focusing on behavioral interventions to improve health outcomes in low-income settings. He has led randomized trials in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and evaluated large-scale health and economic policies. His recent publications include work on HIV testing, PrEP linkage, tuberculosis adherence, maternal health, and chronic disease management, often applying behavioral economics frameworks. These studies appear in leading journals like The Lancet , AIDS and Behavior , and BMJ Global Health . Scientific Awards Robert Suskind & Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Faculty Global Health Award (2024) Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award (2024) Harsha co-founded the Indlela nudge unit in South Africa to build local research capacity in behavioral economics and health. His work emphasizes cross-disciplinary collaboration and translating behavioral insights into scalable health solutions.
Mrs. Tayamika Zabula is a Research Fellow at the Academic Unit of Health Economics within the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds. Her work bridges economics and health policy, focusing on evidence-based interventions to enhance well-being and social inclusion. Education PhD in Economics (University of Leicester) MA in Economics BSoc in Economics Her research expertise includes health economics , financial inclusion , applied microeconometrics , and the political economy of agricultural subsidies . Recent work examines how digital cash transfers and subsidy programs influence household spending and nutrition outcomes. Grants Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) In her role, she teaches Introduction to Health Economics and Introduction to Economic Evaluation of Health at the Business School, while contributing to the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences .
Hanna Mareen Berkel is an External Researcher in the Department of Economics at the University of Copenhagen, focusing on development economics with emphasis on small firms, informality, and natural disasters in the Global South. Her educational background includes: MSc in Global Development from the University of Copenhagen PhD fellow in Development Economics at the University of Copenhagen Dr. Berkel's research integrates quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine disaster resilience among micro-enterprises and informal firms. Her work investigates socio-psychological determinants of disaster preparedness, governance impacts on regulatory compliance, and post-disaster economic recovery mechanisms in vulnerable economies. She maintains active field research in Mozambique and Myanmar, addressing critical gaps in understanding how small businesses navigate environmental shocks. Analysis of her 13 recent publications (2021-2025) reveals consistent thematic focus on cyclone-affected economies, particularly Mozambique. Her work demonstrates methodological rigor through randomized controlled trials and mixed-methods approaches, with emerging trends showing increased attention to socio-psychological factors in disaster response and cash transfer efficacy. Key journals include Disasters, World Development, and International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Dr. Berkel leads grant-funded projects including the Cyclone Idai manufacturing firm study, collaborating with UNU-WIDER and researchers like Finn Tarp and Peter K. Fisker. Her policy-relevant work has been referenced in governmental disaster response frameworks and disseminated through academic networks. She maintains active research partnerships across Scandinavia and Southern Africa, contributing to UNU-WIDER initiatives and Mozambique-focused economic resilience programs through extensive fieldwork and data collection.
Jörg Ankel-Peters is a Professor of Economics at the University of Passau and Co-Head of the Climate and Development Policy department at RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research. He also serves as co-director of the Institute for Replication. His professional footprint spans: Academic leadership at University of Passau Policy research direction at RWI Meta-science initiatives through the Institute for Replication Field work has been conducted across: West Africa Indonesia Rwanda His research integrates environmental economics, development economics, and meta-science to address critical policy questions. Methodologically, he combines randomized evaluations with systematic reviews and qualitative analysis to study infrastructure, technology adoption, and energy policies. Recent work demonstrates particular expertise in evaluating climate interventions in resource-constrained settings. Publication trends reveal growing emphasis on long-term impact assessment and research transparency. His 2025 cookstove study in Rwanda challenged assumptions about rebound effects, while the Uganda cash transfer follow-up pioneered methodology for crisis-period impact analysis. The Institute for Replication under his co-direction actively advances reproducibility standards in economic research. As co-director of the Institute for Replication, Professor Ankel-Peters leads a dedicated team focused on evidence generation processes in economics. The institute provides infrastructure for replication studies, training in transparent research practices, and policy-relevant insights derived from rigorous evidence synthesis. This unique position bridges academic research and real-world policy implementation through structured collaboration with international development agencies.
Lisa Cameron is the James Riady Chair of Asian Economics and Business and Professorial Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne. She leads the Program on Disadvantage and Wellbeing in the Asia-Pacific and maintains affiliation with J-PAL Southeast Asia. Her decades-long research focuses on policy evaluation using experimental economics methods, particularly in Indonesia and China. Research interests center on socio-economic determinants of welfare, with active projects examining: Gender norm interventions and female labor participation Child development programs in Timor-Leste Migrant worker information systems Sanitation and health behavior Cash transfer effectiveness Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on gender economics, sanitation policy, and labor transitions, with work appearing in Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Development Economics, and Health Economics. Key findings include unintended consequences of sex work criminalization, threshold effects in sanitation programs, and impacts of China's demographic policies. Honors include: Fellow of Australian Academy of Social Sciences (2014) Fellow of International Economic Association (2022) Distinguished Fellow of Economic Society of Australia (2023) 2021 AHES Best Paper Prize She maintains extensive policy collaborations with World Bank and Australia's DFAT, designing evaluations that inform social programs. Her lab leverages field experiments and administrative data to study disadvantaged populations across the Asia-Pacific region.
Shilpa Aggarwal is an Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Indian School of Business (Hyderabad, India) and an Affiliated Professor with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research examines development economics challenges with particular focus on: Agricultural market access and technology adoption Financial inclusion and mobile money systems Impact evaluation of cash transfer programs Infrastructure development effects on rural communities Survey methodology and data quality Professor Aggarwal maintains an active research agenda with recent publications in top economics journals including the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics , Journal of Development Economics , and The Review of Economics and Statistics . Her work employs rigorous field experiments and econometric analysis across India and sub-Saharan Africa, investigating how market access, financial tools, and policy interventions affect economic outcomes in developing regions. She leads several ongoing research initiatives focused on agricultural value chains in Rwanda, certified crop propagation systems, media-based agricultural education, and domestic trade efficiency. Her collaborative projects involve researchers from multiple international institutions and address contemporary challenges in development economics through evidence-based approaches.
Dan Levy is a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and a J-PAL Affiliated Professor. He directs J-PAL's training programs and provides technical assistance globally, including evaluations of conditional cash transfers in Jamaica, education reforms in Burkina Faso, and impact assessment guidance for Mexico's Social Development Ministry. Research Focus Levy's work centers on: Impact evaluation methodologies for social programs Design and analysis of conditional cash transfer systems Education intervention effectiveness in developing economies Policy implementation frameworks He advances evidence-based policymaking through field experiments and capacity-building initiatives.
Edward Miguel is the Distinguished Professor of Economics and Oxfam Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He serves as Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) and is an Affiliated Professor with J-PAL. His work focuses on poverty alleviation through field experiments in sub-Saharan Africa and India, particularly evaluating health interventions and economic development programs. Research interests span development economics, environmental/resource economics, and global health, with emphasis on: Long-term impacts of health interventions (e.g., deworming) Cash transfer programs reducing child mortality Climate-conflict relationships Scientific reproducibility in social sciences Notable recognitions include: Econometric Society’s 2024 Frisch Medal 2021 American Sociological Association Methodology Award He leads CEGA's research initiatives and collaborates internationally through J-PAL, advocating for evidence-based policy in global health and development.
Chris Blattman is the Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). He is also affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), where he serves as Co-Chair of the Crime, Violence, and Conflict sector, Co-Chair of the Crime and Violence Initiative, and Co-Chair of J-PAL North America's Crime and Violence Prevention portfolio. Research Focus Blattman investigates the root causes of poverty, violence, and conflict in developing societies, using field experiments to test interventions. His work spans three key areas: Conflict Dynamics : Examining gang governance, state-building, and war economies in Colombia, Liberia, and Uganda. Violence Prevention : Evaluating cognitive behavioral therapy and employment programs for high-risk groups in Chicago and Medellín. Poverty Alleviation : Assessing long-term impacts of cash transfers and entrepreneurship support in Ethiopia and Uganda. His interdisciplinary approach combines economics, political science, and behavioral psychology. Publication Insights Blattman's recent articles (2020–2025) cluster around experimental evaluations of social interventions. Predominant themes include: Crime reduction via behavioral therapies and policing alternatives (e.g., READI Chicago study). Economic development through industrial labor and cash grants in Africa. Conflict prediction/resolution in fragile states, with a geographic focus on Latin America. His work frequently appears in top economics and political science journals. Awards and Recognition Blattman's contributions have earned distinctions including: Robert O. Keohane Award for research on child soldiering coercion. Named professorship at the University of Chicago. Media coverage in NPR, The Economist, and Foreign Affairs for his policy-relevant findings. Advising and Grants He mentors J-PAL scholars and has secured major funding (e.g., a US$16 million UK government grant for conflict/governance research). His projects emphasize partnerships with local institutions to ensure scalable solutions.
Michael Christl is an External Associate Professor specializing in Foundations of Economic Analysis within the Economics department. His academic credentials include a PhD in Economics from Vienna University of Economics and Business (2020), complemented by dual Master's degrees in Quantitative Finance (Vienna University of Economics and Business) and Economics (Vienna University), and a Bachelor's in Economics from Vienna University. Christl's research focuses on applied economic analysis with emphasis on: Income inequality and redistribution mechanisms Tax policy and fiscal systems in the EU Labor market dynamics and social welfare policies Empirical evaluation of economic interventions Childcare policy impacts on employment Crisis response measures His work consistently examines European policy frameworks using microsimulation and comparative analysis. Recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate concentrated focus on taxation systems, social redistribution, and labor market policies within European contexts. The research employs empirical methodologies to evaluate policy alternatives, with recurring themes including childcare subsidies, pandemic income support, energy price interventions, and inequality-growth relationships. Christl leads significant research projects including: Simulation of Net Childcare Costs in EU (ECJRC/SVQ/2025/VLVP/1018) EUROMOD framework extension for SPIN project analyzing spatial inequalities His professional background includes 12 years of sector experience and recent consulting engagements.
Kathleen Lawlor is an Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the MS in Environmental Resilience at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where she conducts research at the intersection of environmental policy, development economics, and social justice. Her work examines how climate interventions, forest conservation programs, and urban renewal policies impact vulnerable communities. Her educational background includes: Ph.D. in Public Policy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill M.E.M. from the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University B.A. from The College of William & Mary Dr. Lawlor's research program investigates policy impacts through rigorous causal inference methods, with three dominant strands: (1) environmental conservation impacts on community livelihoods (particularly REDD+ forest carbon projects), (2) social protection programs for climate resilience (including cash transfers in Zambia), and (3) historical urban renewal effects on racial wealth gaps. Her approach consistently centers community perspectives while applying advanced microeconometric techniques. Recent publications show increasing emphasis on racial justice in environmental planning, with 2024-2026 work analyzing urban renewal's legacy in Asheville. This builds on her longstanding focus on policy evaluation in developing contexts, demonstrating methodological evolution from tropical forest studies to domestic urban equity research while maintaining core expertise in impact assessment. Dr. Lawlor teaches across the economics curriculum with specializations in environmental economics, econometrics, and poverty studies. She directs the MS in Environmental Resilience program, supervising graduate practicum projects that connect classroom learning with community-based climate resilience initiatives in Western North Carolina. Her courses emphasize practical policy analysis skills and the application of economic theory to real-world sustainability challenges.
Dr. Embarika Mostafa serves as an Associate Lecturer at Health Sciences University (formerly AECC University College), specializing in Health Economics, Public Health Policy, and Finance & Accounting. She contributes to the academic mission of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences with her extensive expertise in economic modeling and public health policy analysis. Education Background: PhD in Health Economics from the University of Aberdeen MA in International Economics from Kyung Hee University, South Korea BA in Economics and Statistics Dr. Mostafa's research program focuses on the intersection of economics and public health, with particular emphasis on health economics, international economics, and macroeconomics modeling. Her scholarly work explores critical issues in childhood health within developing country contexts, with recent investigations examining the impact of conditional cash transfer programs on stunting reduction in Indonesia. She has also implemented field experiments in mental health research, demonstrating methodological versatility in her approach to public health challenges. Her work bridges theoretical economic frameworks with practical public health applications, particularly in resource-limited settings. Analysis of Dr. Mostafa's publication record reveals a consistent trajectory of research focused on health economics in both developed and developing contexts. Her work demonstrates methodological diversity, employing systematic reviews, social accounting matrices, and field experiments to address complex public health challenges. The geographical scope of her research spans Egypt, Great Britain, Indonesia, and South Korea, reflecting a global perspective on health economics issues. Her most recent publications indicate a growing focus on nutritional interventions and socioeconomic determinants of health outcomes. Professional Affiliations: Member of Health Economist's Study Group Member of Royal Economic Society Member of International Statistical Institute Member of Computational & Methodological Statistics With over fifteen years of combined research and teaching experience, Dr. Mostafa brings substantial expertise to her academic role. Her professional journey includes eight years as a Research Fellow in Egypt's Statistical & Research Unit, followed by teaching positions at Swansea University and the University of Aberdeen before joining Health Sciences University. This diverse background enables her to connect theoretical frameworks with practical policy applications in her teaching and research. Dr. Mostafa's work demonstrates strong potential for future impact in health economics, particularly in the areas of nutritional interventions in developing countries and the economic analysis of public health policies. Her methodological approach combining economic modeling with public health applications positions her to contribute significantly to interdisciplinary health research.
