Ben Olken

Benjamin A. Olken is the Jane Berkowitz Carlton and Dennis William Carlton Professor of Microeconomics at MIT. His research focuses on the public sector in developing countries, including work on social safety nets, taxation, and governance. He has worked extensively in Indonesia for over 20 years, as well as in other contexts.

Olken earned his PhD in 2004 from Harvard University. He is a Director of J-PAL and Scientific Director of J-PAL Southeast Asia and previously served as a Co-Chair of J-PAL's Governance Initiative. He is also the Editor of American Economic Journal: Applied Economics and the Co-Director of the NBER Development Economics Program.