Abhijit Banerjee

About the Author

Abhijit Banerjee is a renowned economist and the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT, where he co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a global research center dedicated to evaluating the impact of social programs on poverty alleviation. Born in Mumbai, India, Banerjee's groundbreaking work in development economics has reshaped how policymakers and organizations approach global poverty, emphasizing rigorous empirical evidence over ideological assumptions. In 2019, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics alongside Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Through his influential book Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty, co-authored with Duflo, Banerjee challenges conventional wisdom by drawing on randomized controlled trials to propose practical, data-driven solutions for improving the lives of the world's poorest populations. His research continues to inspire innovative interventions in education, health, and finance across developing nations.