Reducing Poverty and Inequality

The extent of poverty and inequality in the world remains enormous, and reducing it remains a central policy priority of our time. The United Nations have put it at the core of their 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in which they pledge to “leave no one behind”. Over the past 25 years, there has been a considerable reduction in extreme poverty and between-country inequality. However, extreme poverty remains high in sub-Saharan Africa and a large part of the world's population cannot benefit from the social and economic achievements of recent decades. Disadvantaged people are faced with obstacles daily, in education, on the labor market, in political and legal representation. To ensure that equal opportunities and the right to a dignified life are not reserved to the wealthy sections of the population, we must ask uncomfortable questions and test unconventional approaches.

• Should health prevention be free, or is it more effective if it costs something? 
• Which interventions and measures are most effective in improving the living conditions of disadvantaged groups?
• How do the circumstances of the first years of life influence lifetime income?
• What beliefs keep high-performing students from humble backgrounds from applying to elite universities?
• How does the size and payment of bails influence sentencing? 

Development Economics

Health and Education

Behavioral Economics

Macroeconomics

Political Economy

Public Economics

Economics of Institutions