Asim Khwaja, Professor of Public Policy Harvard Kennedy School

Asim Ijaz Khwaja is the Sumitomo-Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development Professor of International Finance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Co-Director of Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD). His areas of interest include economic development, finance, education, political economy, institutions, and contract theory/mechanism design. His research combines extensive fieldwork, rigorous empirical analysis, and microeconomic theory to answer questions that are motivated by and engage with policy. It has been published in the leading economics journals, such as the American Economic Review, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and has received coverage in numerous media outlets such as the Economist, NY Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Al-Jazeera, BBC, and CNN. His recent work ranges from understanding market failures in emerging financial markets to examining the private education market in low-income countries. He was selected as a Carnegie Scholar in 2009 to pursue research on how religious institutions impact individual beliefs. Khwaja received BS degrees in economics and in mathematics with computer science from MIT and a PhD in economics from Harvard. A Pakistani, UK, and US citizen, he was born in London, U.K., lived for eight years in Kano, Nigeria, the next eight in Lahore, Pakistan, and the last eighteen years in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He continues to enjoy interacting with people around the globe.

Asim Khwaja also serves as the faculty co-chair of a week-long executive education program, "Rethinking Financial Inclusion: Smart Design for Policy and Practice," aimed primarily at professionals involved in the design and regulation of financial products and services for low-income populations.”

Research Assistant Skills: A research assistant is needed to assist with a research program focusing on labor market policy in Saudi Arabia. This is an opportunity to contribute to a growing research-policy engagement and to gain in-depth knowledge of a key policy area. The RA will be expected to conduct literature reviews, write summaries of papers, and support the development of new research projects for the Saudi Ministry of Labor, in addition to carrying out other tasks related to the operations and growth of EPoD. Some data cleaning and analysis may be required. The RA may have the opportunity to contribute to specific research projects, based on project needs and the RA’s interests.

Background in economics or international development extremely helpful. RA must have excellent writing skills, the ability to read, digest, and summarize quantitative social science research, and the ability to be creative in their research and presentation of information. The RA also must be organized, independent, and efficient, and be willing to take on responsibility for project tasks while providing regular progress updates to faculty and program staff. Stata skills are a plus.