Rate My Professor Michael Kremer

Michael Kremer is a development economist who served as the Gates Professor of Developing Societies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University from 2003 to 2020. He received his AB in Social Studies from Harvard University in 1985 and his PhD in Economics from Harvard University in 1992. Kremer began his academic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he held positions as a postdoctoral fellow, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor of economics between 1992 and 1999 before joining the Harvard faculty.

Kremer’s research focuses on economic growth, poverty alleviation, health, and education in developing countries, with notable contributions including the O-ring theory of economic development published in 1993 and pioneering work on randomized controlled trials. In 2019, he shared the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel with Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. His honors include a MacArthur Fellowship in 1997, election as a Fellow of the Econometric Society in 2008, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003, and membership in the National Academy of Sciences in 2020. Kremer co-founded the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development and has held roles such as Scientific Director of Development Innovation Ventures at USAID. Since 2020, he has been University Professor in Economics and the College and the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and Director of the Development Innovation Lab.