James E. Foster

James E. Foster is a Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University, with a Research Associate role at the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at Oxford University. His work focuses on welfare economics, poverty measurement, and inequality.

• Education: Ph.D. in Economics from Cornell University (1982), B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from New College of Florida (1977)

Research Interests: Professor Foster specializes in development economics and welfare theory, with a groundbreaking emphasis on multidimensional poverty measurement. His methodologies, including the FGT Index and Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), are widely adopted by global institutions like the UNDP, World Bank, and USAID.

Scientific Awards: He has received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Hidalgo in Mexico.

• Key Contributions: FGT Poverty Index, MPI, Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), Gross National Happiness Index of Bhutan, Better Jobs Index (IDB), Statistical Performance Index (World Bank)