Dean Karlan
Encyclopedia
Dean Karlan is a Professor of Economics at Yale University and a Research Fellow at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
(J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Karlan is also the President and Founder of Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), a New Haven, Connecticut based research outfit dedicated to creating and evaluating solutions to social and international development
problems. Along with economists Jonathan Morduch
and Sendhil Mullainathan
, Karlan serves as Director of the Financial Access Initiative
(FAI), a consortium of researchers focused on substantially expanding access to quality financial services for low-income individuals.
Talent Identification Program
from 1982-1985.
, behavioral economics and international development
policy. He has studied microeconomic issues of financial decision-making, specifically employing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to examine what works and what does not and why with respect to interventions and businesses intended to address problems in society. Internationally, he focuses on microfinance
, and domestically he focuses on voting, charitable giving, and commitment contracts. In microfinance, Karlan has studied the following topics: interest rate policy, credit evaluation and scoring policies, entrepreneurship training, group versus individual liability, savings product design, credit with education, and impact from increased access to credit and savings. His work on savings and health typically uses insights from psychology and behavioral economics to design and test specialized products.
In 2007, Karlan received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and in 2008 he received the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship. He has consulted for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, FINCA International, Oxfam USA, and the Guatemalan government. Karlan is also President and Founder of StickK
, a start-up company that enables users to make commitment contracts in order to reach their personal goals. He is also the co-author of the economics book More Than Good Intentions
published by Dutton Press due for public release in April 2011. Karlan is also a member of the Finance research programme at the International Growth Centre
, a research centre based jointly at The London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Oxford
, which brings academics and policy-makers together.
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab is an academic center located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Economics which is dedicated to evaluating the impact of anti-poverty programs through randomized controlled trials similar to those used in medical research...
(J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Karlan is also the President and Founder of Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), a New Haven, Connecticut based research outfit dedicated to creating and evaluating solutions to social and international development
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
problems. Along with economists Jonathan Morduch
Jonathan Morduch
Jonathan Morduch is a Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the NYU Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. He is a prominent development economist most well known for his significant academic contributions to assessing the impact of microfinance since the early years of the movement...
and Sendhil Mullainathan
Sendhil Mullainathan
Sendhil Mullainathan is a Professor of Economics at Harvard University. He was hired with tenure by Harvard in 2004 after having spent six years at MIT, first as a junior faculty member and then as a full professor. He is a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" and conducts research on...
, Karlan serves as Director of the Financial Access Initiative
Financial Access Initiative
Established in 2006, the Financial Access Initiative is an American consortium of researchers at New York University, Yale University, Harvard University and Innovations for Poverty Action focused on finding answers to how financial sectors can better meet the needs of poor households.The...
(FAI), a consortium of researchers focused on substantially expanding access to quality financial services for low-income individuals.
Education
Karlan received a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology., an M.B.A. and an M.P.P. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Virginia. Karlan attended the Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
Talent Identification Program
Talent Identification Program
The Duke Talent Identification Program is a gifted education program based at Duke University. Its purpose is to identify gifted children and provide them and their parents the resources for them to reach their full educational potential....
from 1982-1985.
Academic research
Karlan's research focuses on the areas of development economicsDevelopment economics
Development Economics is a branch of economics which deals with economic aspects of the development process in low-income countries. Its focus is not only on methods of promoting economic growth and structural change but also on improving the potential for the mass of the population, for example,...
, behavioral economics and international development
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
policy. He has studied microeconomic issues of financial decision-making, specifically employing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to examine what works and what does not and why with respect to interventions and businesses intended to address problems in society. Internationally, he focuses on microfinance
Microfinance
Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services....
, and domestically he focuses on voting, charitable giving, and commitment contracts. In microfinance, Karlan has studied the following topics: interest rate policy, credit evaluation and scoring policies, entrepreneurship training, group versus individual liability, savings product design, credit with education, and impact from increased access to credit and savings. His work on savings and health typically uses insights from psychology and behavioral economics to design and test specialized products.
In 2007, Karlan received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and in 2008 he received the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship. He has consulted for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, FINCA International, Oxfam USA, and the Guatemalan government. Karlan is also President and Founder of StickK
StickK
stickK.com is an American Internet start-up company that enables users to make commitment contracts in order to reach their personal goals.- Service :...
, a start-up company that enables users to make commitment contracts in order to reach their personal goals. He is also the co-author of the economics book More Than Good Intentions
More Than Good Intentions
More Than Good Intentions: How a New Economics is Helping to Solve Global Poverty is a non-fiction book by Yale economist Dean Karlan and field researcher Jacob Appel published in 2011. It combines insights from behavioral economics with field research from developing countries to discuss and...
published by Dutton Press due for public release in April 2011. Karlan is also a member of the Finance research programme at the International Growth Centre
International Growth Centre
The International Growth Centre is a research institute based jointly at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Oxford University that provides advice on economic growth to governments of developing countries...
, a research centre based jointly at The London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, which brings academics and policy-makers together.