Esther Duflo

Esther Duflo is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT's Department of Economics. She co-founded and co-directs the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and holds the Chaire Pauvreté et politiques publiques at the Collège de France. A graduate of École Normale Supérieure (Paris) and MIT (PhD, 1999), her work focuses on experimental approaches to combat poverty through health, education, financial inclusion, environment, and governance research.

She received the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for her experimental methods in development economics, alongside Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer. Other honors include the John Bates Clark Medal (2010), MacArthur Fellowship (2009), and Princess of Asturias Award (2015). Duflo has advised governments and international bodies, including the U.S. President’s Global Development Council (2013–2021).

Her books Poor Economics and Good Economics for Hard Times popularized her research. She also authored children’s books explaining poverty, aiming to demystify socioeconomic challenges for younger audiences.