Christopher Neilson is an assistant professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University. He has been a J-PAL affiliate since 2017. How did you become interested in development economics? I moved around a lot when I was growing up; I spent time in Chile, Brazil, and the United States. These experiences exposed me to contrasts in development—both across countries, and as well as within countries—and these disparities left a mark. The consequences of ineffective economic policy were very visible. For example, when I was 9 or 10, I remember negotiating my allowance to be in US dollars when my family briefly lived in Brazil during a period of hyperinflation.
J‑PAL Latin America & the Caribbean
J-PAL Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC) is a research center that works alongside governments and NGOs in Latin America and the Caribbean to identify and promote the most effective programs and policies in the region. With the help of our research, training, and policy teams, our network of affiliated professors measure the impact of these programs and policies through randomized evaluations that become critical inputs for influencing public policy.
