معرفی
Rachel Heath is the Alberta C. Corkery Professor of Economics at the University of Washington, where she has been a faculty member since 2011. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018 and to her current named professorship in 2024. Her research focuses on development and labor economics, with particular emphasis on women's economic empowerment in developing countries.
Dr. Heath received her PhD in Economics from Yale University in 2011, following an M.Phil (2008) and M.A. (2007) from the same institution. She earned her B.S. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Duke University in 2005, where she was also awarded the Robertson Scholarship and elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Her research interests span several interconnected areas within development economics. Much of her work examines labor market opportunities for women in developing countries, particularly in the garment industry in Bangladesh. She investigates how these new job opportunities affect women's lives, the factors influencing women's decisions to join the labor force, and how to improve working conditions in export manufacturing. Her research also explores intra-household resource allocation, social networks, and the relationship between female labor force participation and domestic violence. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Africa (particularly Ghana) and South Asia (particularly Bangladesh).
Her recent publications show a consistent focus on women's economic empowerment across multiple dimensions. She has examined the effects of graduation programs targeting women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the impact of international scrutiny on manufacturing workers following the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, and labor supply responses to health shocks in urban Ghana. Her work often employs rigorous experimental and quasi-experimental methods to establish causal relationships.
Dr. Heath has received numerous honors and awards for her scholarly contributions:
- Milliman Distinguished Scholar (2018-2024)
- World Bank Economic Review Excellence in Refereeing Award (2018, 2022, 2023)
- Corkery Distinguished Scholar (2017-2018)
- American Institute of Bangladesh Studies Program Support Award (2016)
As an advisor, Dr. Heath has chaired or served on committees for numerous PhD students, many of whom have gone on to academic positions at institutions including UCLA, Rhodes University, Central Bank of Colombia, and Bryant University. Her research has been supported by substantial grants from organizations including the International Growth Centre, Weiss Foundation, Women's Economic Empowerment and Digital Connectivity initiative, and the Social Science Research Council.
Dr. Heath is actively engaged with several research centers and initiatives, including the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), Henry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), and Center for Statistics in the Social Sciences (CSSS) at the University of Washington.
