Rachel Glennerster

Rachel Glennerster is a prominent British development economist known for her pioneering work in using randomized controlled trials to evaluate social policies and international development programs. She has held significant leadership roles at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and served as the Chief Economist at the UK's Department for International Development. Her research has focused on critical issues including education in developing countries, health economics, and women's empowerment.

Early life and education

Born in the United Kingdom, she pursued her undergraduate studies in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. She later earned a Master of Science in Economics from Birkbeck, University of London. Her doctoral research, completed at the University of London, focused on the economic challenges of post-conflict reconstruction, examining cases such as Sierra Leone and Rwanda.

Career and research

Her early career included a position as an economist at the International Monetary Fund. She subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Chicago before becoming a key figure at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, where she served as Executive Director. In this role, she collaborated with fellow economists like Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee to promote evidence-based policy through field experiments. She was appointed Chief Economist of the UK's Department for International Development, advising on major initiatives and the allocation of aid budgets. Her research portfolio includes influential studies on improving public health outcomes, increasing school enrollment in nations like Kenya, and understanding the dynamics of community-driven development. She has also held academic appointments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and continues to contribute to policy debates through organizations like the Center for Global Development.

Awards and recognition

In 2021, she was a co-recipient of the prestigious Yrjö Jahnsson Award, awarded by the European Economic Association for significant contributions by economists under the age of 45. Her work has been recognized by institutions including the American Economic Association and she has been invited to present her research at forums like the World Bank and the United Nations. She is a frequent contributor to major media outlets such as The Economist and the Financial Times on topics related to global poverty and aid effectiveness.

Selected publications

Her scholarly work includes the co-authored book *Running Randomized Evaluations: A Practical Guide*, published by Princeton University Press. Key academic papers include "The Price is Wrong: Charging Small Fees Dramatically Reduces Access to Important Products for the Poor" in the *Journal of Development Economics*, and "Using Randomization in Development Economics Research: A Toolkit" in the *Handbook of Development Economics*. Other significant publications have appeared in the *Quarterly Journal of Economics* and the *American Economic Review*, covering topics from vaccine uptake to microfinance impacts.

Personal life

She maintains a private personal life while being an active participant in the global development community. She is married to fellow economist Michael Kremer, a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Her professional travels for research and policy work have spanned numerous countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Category:British economists Category:Development economists Category:1965 births Category:Living people