Plamen V Nikolov

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Bio Sketch & Curriculum Vitae

 

Harvard University campus: John W. Weeks Bridge & clock tower over Charles River

  SAIS-Johns Hopkins campus

As an economist, my expertise spans development, labor/public economics, and behavioral economics. I focus on international relations, foreign policy, human capital, illicit finance, and productivity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). My past work has covered three primary themes: human capital formation and depreciation, the economic impact of longer lives, and productivity in developing economies, often drawing from psychology and behavioral economics. My research methods include randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental designs.

I've partnered with global institutions, including The World Bank and BRAC, leading research teams and managing field interventions across Southern and East Africa, Central and South Asia. I've collaborated with NGOs in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan), the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa (South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya), South Asia (Nepal, Bangladesh), and Asia (China) to implement large randomized control trials (RCTs) in the field (aka field experiments).

My academic background includes a doctorate from Harvard University and a master's degree in International Economics and Arabic/Middle East Studies from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). I also completed an advanced Arabic Language program, including Egyptian Arabic, at the Arabic Study Center at the  American University of Cairo's ALI/CASA Center. I am a non-resident research affiliate at The Harvard University Institute for Quantitative Social Science, The University of Chicago's Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group, and an IZA Institute of Labor Economics Research Fellow.

Beyond academic settings, I've brought my analytical skills, economics expertise, and multilingual capabilities to deliver products (written & oral) to create actionable information as an analyst investigating economic issues for the U.S. Government, multilateral financial institutions, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER,), and the private sector. Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work in places like Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa.

 

Curriculum vitae

[Academic CV in PDF, August 2022] 

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