Matt Ridley
5th Viscount Ridley | Science Writer, Journalist & Businessman | Author of The Rational Optimist & How Innovation Works | Fellow, Royal Society of Literature
Abhijit Banerjee
2019 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences | MIT Professor & Co-founder of J-PAL | Bestselling Author, Poor Economics
Abhijit Banerjee is one of economics' most important living voices — a 2019 Nobel Laureate who pioneered the use of randomized evidence to reveal what actually works in the fight against poverty. MIT professor, co-founder of J-PAL, and bestselling author, he brings a rare combination of Nobel-calibre rigour and disarming clarity to questions of inequality, policy, and human behaviour that senior audiences rarely encounter this honestly.
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Abhijit Banerjee biography
Abhijit Banerjee is one of the most consequential economists of his generation — a 2019 Nobel Laureate whose work has fundamentally reoriented how the world thinks about poverty, inequality, and the design of effective social policy. Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT and co-founder of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), Banerjee has spent decades transforming development economics from a field of contested theories into one grounded in rigorous experimental evidence, directly influencing government programs and humanitarian investments worth billions of dollars worldwide.
Nobel Prize speaker Abhijit Banerjee shared the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for pioneering the use of randomized controlled trials in development economics — the same methodology used in clinical medical research — to evaluate what actually works in the fight against global poverty. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences noted that their experimental methods now dominate development economics. Together with Duflo, Banerjee co-founded J-PAL in 2003, a global research network of over 1,000 economists across six continents that has evaluated more than 1,500 randomized studies and directly shaped policy on education, health, financial inclusion, and governance.
His books have brought these ideas to a wide audience. Poor Economics, co-authored with Esther Duflo, won the Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award and challenged almost every assumption about why the poor make the decisions they do. Good Economics for Hard Times, also with Duflo, tackled immigration, inequality, climate change, and the failures of globalization with the same evidence-first rigour. His most recent work, Chhaunk: On Food, Economics and Society (2025), explores how food intersects with culture, identity, and economic systems — a characteristically wide-ranging inquiry from one of economics’ most original minds.
A New Chapter: The Lemann Center at the University of Zurich
In a landmark development announced in October 2025, Banerjee and Duflo will join the University of Zurich in July 2026 to co-direct the newly established Lemann Center for Development, Education and Public Policy, made possible by a CHF 26 million endowment from the Lemann Foundation. While retaining part-time positions at MIT and continuing to co-lead J-PAL, this move signals a deepening commitment to evidence-based policy at a global scale — and a determination to keep rigorous development research independent and internationally anchored.
As a speaker, Abhijit Banerjee brings to the stage an extraordinarily rare combination: the intellectual authority of a Nobel laureate and the storytelling instinct of someone who has spent decades making complex economics legible to the world. His talks challenge senior audiences to question the assumptions behind the policies they support, confront the gap between economic theory and lived reality, and take seriously the power of evidence to change minds and redirect resources. Audiences leave not just informed, but genuinely provoked to think differently.
Abhijit Banerjee Speaking Videos
Abhijit Banerjee on economic slowdown, liberalism and future of India
Nobel Lecture: Abhijit Banerjee, Prize in Economic Sciences 2019
Abhijit Banerjee Keynote Topics
Drawing on decades of field research and the work that earned him the Nobel Prize, Banerjee dismantles the myths that dominate public debate about poverty — why the poor borrow to save, why they skip free immunizations but pay for unnecessary drugs, why foreign aid so often fails, and what the evidence shows actually works. This keynote challenges audiences to replace ideology with curiosity, and rhetoric with results. Essential for governments, development organizations, financial institutions, and any leadership team serious about making evidence-based decisions at scale.
The most urgent problems of our era — rising inequality, the disruption of globalization, climate anxiety, and the political backlash against migration — are also the most misunderstood, often because the economics behind them is poorly communicated or deliberately distorted. Banerjee draws on his landmark book Good Economics for Hard Times to offer audiences a clear-eyed, evidence-grounded account of what is actually happening, what the data shows works, and why the most counterintuitive economic insights are often the most important. A rigorous, accessible session for senior leaders navigating a world of polarized debate and political uncertainty.
The same experimental logic that transformed medicine — testing what works before scaling it — has now arrived in economics, policy, and increasingly in business. Banerjee traces the intellectual journey from academic innovation to global policy impact, showing how the randomized controlled trial revolution has redirected billions of dollars toward interventions that actually improve lives. Beyond development economics, he draws implications for how organizations in any sector can build a more honest relationship with evidence, move from intuition to impact, and design programs that genuinely work rather than simply feel right.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Abhijit Banerjee
Why Abhijit Banerjee?
Booking Abhijit Banerjee means bringing a 2019 Nobel Laureate in Economics to your stage — one of the sharpest, most original economic minds of our time, with an unmatched ability to translate frontier research into ideas that matter for real-world decisions. As co-founder of J-PAL, architect of the randomized controlled trial revolution in development economics, and bestselling author, Banerjee speaks with a combination of intellectual authority and accessible wit that few economists can match. His talks challenge organizations to rethink their assumptions about poverty, inequality, policy effectiveness, and the use of evidence in decision-making. Through Aurum Speakers Bureau, he is available for keynote addresses at economic forums, leadership summits, government conferences, and corporate events where the quality of ideas is paramount.
What did Abhijit Banerjee win the Nobel Prize for?
Banerjee was awarded the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences jointly with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Specifically, the Nobel Committee recognized their pioneering use of randomized controlled trials — the same method used to evaluate clinical drugs — to rigorously test which anti-poverty interventions actually work. Their research overturned long-held assumptions about microfinance, school attendance, immunization, and food aid, and redirected global humanitarian investment toward programs with proven impact. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences described their methods as now entirely dominating the field of development economics.
What is J-PAL and what has it accomplished?
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center co-founded by Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Sendhil Mullainathan at MIT in 2003. It is now a network of over 1,000 affiliated researchers across more than 60 countries, with hubs on every inhabited continent. J-PAL evaluates the effectiveness of social programs through randomized controlled trials and works directly with governments and NGOs to scale what the evidence shows works. Programs influenced by J-PAL research have reached hundreds of millions of people across health, education, financial access, and economic mobility — making it one of the most impactful research-to-policy pipelines in the history of development economics.
What topics does Nobel economist speaker Abhijit Banerjee cover?
Available through Aurum Speakers Bureau, Abhijit Banerjee speaks on global poverty and inequality, the use of evidence and randomized research to improve policy, the economics of immigration and globalization, inequality and social mobility, the failures and potential of international aid, and the political economy of reform. He also speaks on broader themes including the limits of economic theory, the gap between how economists think and how people actually behave, and the role of curiosity and humility in making good decisions under uncertainty. His sessions are particularly valuable for government bodies, development organizations, financial institutions, and corporate audiences engaged with social impact, ESG, and policy strategy.
How to book Abhijit Banerjee as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Abhijit Banerjee as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Abhijit Banerjee's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Abhijit Banerjee or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Abhijit Banerjee speaking fee?
Abhijit Banerjee speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Abhijit Banerjee to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Abhijit Banerjee.
How can I contact Abhijit Banerjee?
We only work with Abhijit Banerjee on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Abhijit Banerjee and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Abhijit Banerjee speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Abhijit Banerjee for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Abhijit Banerjee for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Abhijit Banerjee is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Abhijit Banerjee for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
