I’m an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I’m a development economist and much of my work utilizes randomized experiments and economic theory to improve our understanding of which policies work best in improving the lives of the poor. My work covers several topics including access to finance, private sector development, youth employment, international trade and transport frictions.
I am also the co-Scientific Director of the J-PAL Middle East North Africa office based at the American University in Cairo. I’ve worked on randomized experiments in the Philippines, India, Nigeria and Georgia, yet the majority of my work has been in the Middle East.
You can contact me at aosman@illinois.edu and you can find me on twitter here.