Dean Karlan

Dean Karlan is an American economist renowned for his pioneering work using randomized controlled trials to evaluate anti-poverty programs in the field of development economics. A professor at Northwestern University, he is a co-founder of the research and policy nonprofit Innovations for Poverty Action and has made significant contributions to understanding microfinance, savings, and behavioral economics in low-income settings. His research is closely associated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and has influenced policy and practice for numerous international organizations.

Early life and education

Dean Karlan completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia, where he earned a degree in International relations. He subsequently pursued his graduate education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a Ph.D. in Economics. At MIT, his doctoral advisors were the Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, key figures in the experimental approach to development economics. This academic foundation at MIT placed him at the forefront of a movement applying rigorous scientific methods to economic questions in the developing world.

Career and research

Karlan began his academic career as a professor at Yale University before moving to Northwestern University, where he is a Professor of Economics and Finance at the Kellogg School of Management. A central pillar of his career is the co-founding of Innovations for Poverty Action, a research organization dedicated to discovering and promoting effective solutions to global poverty problems. His research extensively employs field experiments to test interventions related to microfinance institutions, savings products, health behaviors, and agricultural productivity. He has collaborated with numerous organizations including the World Bank, CGAP, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on impactful studies.

Notable contributions and impact

Karlan's work has substantially shaped the evidence base for development policy. With Jonathan Zinman, he conducted influential research on microcredit in the Philippines, challenging some assumptions about its transformative effects. He has also innovated in the design of commitment savings products, demonstrating how insights from Behavioral economics can improve financial outcomes for the poor. His co-authored book, More Than Good Intentions, brought these research findings to a broad public audience. Furthermore, he co-founded ImpactMatters, an organization aimed at auditing the impact claims of charities, and later Stoel, a platform connecting donors with evidence-backed nonprofits.

Awards and recognition

For his contributions to economic science, Dean Karlan has received several prestigious fellowships and awards. He is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, awarded by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He has also been honored with an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in economics. His research has been funded by notable institutions such as the National Science Foundation and the J-PAL. These accolades recognize his role in advancing the methodological rigor and practical relevance of development economics.

Personal life

Dean Karlan maintains a relatively private personal life focused on his professional and philanthropic endeavors. He is actively involved in the operations and strategic direction of Innovations for Poverty Action and continues to advise various non-governmental organizations and policymakers. His commitment to leveraging evidence for social good extends beyond academia into direct engagement with the practice of international development and philanthropy.

Category:American economists Category:Development economists Category:Behavioral economists Category:Northwestern University faculty Category:Yale University faculty Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni