Ben Olken

Ben Olken is the director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is also scientific director of J-PAL Southeast Asia and co-chair of social protection and a member of the executive committee of J-PAL. He previously served as co-chair of J-PAL's governance initiative.

Ben is the Jane Berkowitze Carlton and Dennis William Carlton Professor of Microeconomics at MIT. His research focuses on public sector in middle-income economies, including the topics of social safety nets, taxation and governance. He holds a PhD from Harvard University.