Kristen McNeill

Kristen McNeill is an Assistant Professor in Anthropology and Sociology and holds the Pictet Chair in Finance and Development. She is affiliated with the Centre for Finance and Development and the Gender Centre, focusing on themes such as Economies and Institutions, Gender, Class, Race, and Intersectionality. Her research examines the social drivers of financial behaviors, gender inequalities in development contexts, and the gendered dimensions of microfinance processes.

McNeill earned a PhD from Brown University. Her work employs mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, notably exploring how gender-neutral financial policies can produce unequal outcomes in practice, such as in microlending contexts. She has conducted fieldwork in Western and Southern Africa, contributing to global policy analyses on topics like child rights, labor policies, and pension systems.

Her publications span journals like Socio-Economic Review and American Sociological Review, addressing themes such as informal financial assistance, microsavings program dynamics, and global policy comparisons. McNeill collaborates with institutions to develop indicators for assessing international covenant compliance and child policy effectiveness.

Her research emphasizes intersectional approaches, linking gender, class, and race to economic structures. She has contributed to books like Children’s Chances: How Country Action Changes Children’s Opportunities, examining global policy impacts on child well-being.