Esther Duflo: Combattre la pauvreté

Esther Duflo, the youngest Nobel laureate in economics and co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is the co-author of 'Économie utile pour des temps difficiles'. In this interview she discusses the challenge of prioritising health and the economy during the COVID-19 crisis. As the world faces unprecedented economic chaos, Duflo emphasises the importance of implementing a useful and efficient economy in the coming years. She compares economists to plumbers, solving problems through a mix of intuition, science, experience, and trial and error. In managing the crisis, governments have lacked the benefit of economic science and are navigating in uncharted waters. Duflo, who will preside over the 2020 RVH de Blois conference, highlights the urgency of addressing logistic and technical issues in the economy. Her insights on combating poverty and governing are of great relevance in today's world.