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 the fields of development, labor/public economics, and behavioral economics. I research topics related to international relations, foreign policy, development, human capital, (illicit) finance, and entrepreneurship. Broadly, three central themes guide my work, primarily in the context of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): human capital formation and depreciation, the economic implications of longer lives, and what factors help or hurt productivity in developing economies (emphasizing insights from psychology and behavioral economics). My primary research methods are randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental designs.

I've previously partnered with several 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 research aims to address critical social challenges, helping inform better policy decisions.

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 program in Arabic, 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, economic knowledge, and multilingual capabilities to deliver products (written & oral) to create actionable information as an analyst investigating economic issues with the U.S. Government, international financial institutions, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER,), and the private sector. Throughout my professional journey, I've had the chance to work in diverse global locations, such as Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa.

 


 

 

Curriculum vitae

[Academic CV in PDF, August 2022] 


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