Spousal researchers: newcomer

Here is a list of spousal researchers in economics, management and related disciplines. Now the list should add two more prominent figures: Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee.

From the FT:

What about her husband? Is he American? I ask. There is a pregnant pause. “It is Abhijit,” she exclaims. “He is not my husband but he is the father of the child. And he doesn’t speak French, so I don’t think he would like to go to France.”

This takes me by surprise. They have been colleagues since her arrival at MIT – he was one of her PhD supervisors before she became a professor. In 2003 they founded (and still co-head) the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-Pal), the MIT centre where anti-poverty initiatives are studied. They have lived together for 18 months.

Aside from the child, their joint work also includes this amazing book.

HT: Feng Dong.