Abhijit Banerjee

Leading MIT Economist, Nobel Laureate, J-PAL Co-Founder & Global Authority on Poverty, Inequality & Public Policy

Abhijit Banerjee’s Biography:

Abhijit Banerjee is the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT and one of the most influential development economists of his generation. A sought after keynote speaker, he is celebrated for his groundbreaking work in poverty alleviation and for winning the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. His approach combines rigorous research with a deep belief in human potential, making his insights relevant to governments, businesses and global organisations striving to create fairer economic systems.

Abhijit grew up in Mumbai in an academic household that shaped his early curiosity. After studying economics at the University of Calcutta, he completed an MA at Jawaharlal Nehru University before earning his PhD at Harvard University. He began his academic career as an Economics Professor at Princeton University, later teaching at Harvard University, before joining the faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993. His promise was recognised early when he received the Sloan Research Fellowship in 1994, followed by the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2000. During this time he refined the research interests that would define his global influence, focusing on how policy design shapes the lives of the world’s poorest communities.

Abhijit’s career reached a defining moment in 2003 when he became the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT and co founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, known as J-PAL. This institution transformed the field through rigorous randomised controlled trials and set a new standard for evidence based policy. Alongside Esther Duflo he co authored Poor Economics, a book that won the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, and later Good Economics for Hard Times, which shaped conversations on inequality and globalisation. His continued recognition, including the Infosys Prize in Social Sciences and the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, reflects the scale of his contribution.

Why Hire Abhijit Banerjee?

Audiences hire Abhijit for his ability to make complex research clear, actionable and relevant to real world decision making. He speaks on poverty, inequality, public policy, climate economics and global growth, drawing on decades of field work and academic leadership. His sessions help leaders understand how small, targeted interventions can transform communities, using examples from large scale experiments across India and beyond. Abhijit leaves audiences with a renewed sense of responsibility and possibility, offering practical insights that help organisations contribute to meaningful social change.

Abhijit Banerjee’s Career Highlights:

Below showcases Abhijit Banerjee’s inspirational career highlights throughout the world of public policy and economics:

• 2025 – Announced as incoming Professor at the University of Zurich and co-leader of the new Lemann Center for Development, Education, and Public Policy
• 2025 – Delivered a keynote at the German Development Economics Conference in Frankfurt
• 2025 – Spoke at the South Asian Literature and Arts Festival in California on India’s economic trajectory
• 2022 – Received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement
• 2019 – Awarded Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
• 2019 – Co-authored Good Economics for Hard Times
• 2011 – Poor Economics received the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award
• 2011 – Co-authored Poor Economics
• 2009 – Awarded Infosys Prize in Social Sciences (Economics)
• 2003 – Co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• 2003 – Appointed Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT
• 2000 – Received Guggenheim Fellowship
• 1994 – Received Sloan Research Fellowship
• 1991-1993 – Taught economics at Harvard University
• 1993 – Joined the faculty at MIT
• 1988-1992 – Economics Professor at Princeton University
• 1988 – Graduated with a PhD in Economics from Harvard University
• 1983 – Graduated with an MA in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University
• 1981 – Graduated with a BSc in Economics from University of Calcutta