Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Development Economics, Economics of Education and Health, Social Networks, Corruption, Economics of Immigration
Biography
I am the Director of the Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability (CDES) and Professor at the Department of Economics at Monash University. At present, in partnership with NGOs, researchers and governments in developing countries I am conducting rapid actionable research to communicate the research findings to policy makers. In addition to providing awareness on COVID-19 and related health issues, I am conducting research on households and firms to quickly assess the lives and livelihoods of the poor and the vulnerable communicates in developing countries.
My research interests are primarily in the areas of Development Economics and Demography. My recent research focuses on primary and early childhood education; technology adoption using social networks; gender, microfinance and microenterprise development; long-term effects of shocks and risk-sharing mechanisms of households; and health of disadvantaged communities. My research works span in a number of countries including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Cambodia, Uganda, and Tanzania. I have published in leading journals including Economic Journal, European Economic review, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and Demography.
My work is also supported by international grants such as Australian Research council (ARC), UK Research Council (ESRC), DFID, AusAID (DFAT), International Growth Centre (IGC), European Commission and World Bank. My current work is heavily focused on early childhood development in projects in Bangladesh, Uganda and Tanzania supported by UK Research council, DFID, and Lego Foundation. I am currently working on Rohingya communities in collaboration with BRAC in Bangladesh.
Previously I received fellowship from ARC, recognized as one of the highest performing Monash early to mid-career researchers, and research award from Monash University for research impact and engagement with outside academia. I have written a number of op-eds in leading newspapers and communicated my research findings to different outlets (e.g., Behavioral Evidence Hub, VoxEU, J-PAL, Ideas for India, IGC, etc). I have also worked as a consultant for the World Bank, European Union, ADB, and UNDP.
I have worked closely with leading NGOs, government, and leading national and international development agencies. I grew up in a rural village in Bangladesh. My work involves extensive fieldwork to try understand the context and data used for my research. I am particularly interested in issues that can generate public policy interest. I am passionate about making changes in the lives of the poor people in developing countries through my research, collaboration and external engagement with NGOs, government, policymakers and development practitioners around the world.
For more information about my work, please visit my personal webpage
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
External positions
Adjunct Fellow, BRAC International (Bangladesh)
25 Jul 2016 → …
Network
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Low-Cost, Scalable Innovations for mitigating Learning Loss during COVID-19: A Field Experiment in Bangladesh
Islam, A., Thornton, R., Crawfurd, L., Talukdar, A. & Li, Z.
1/10/22 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
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Curbing Littering in Urban Bangladesh
Garg, T., Islam, A. & Martin, L.
1/12/21 → 30/09/23
Project: Research
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RACE for 2030: Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre (RACE for 2030 CRC)
Beins, D., Liebman, A., Bahrani, B., Leroux, A., Kraal, D., Razzaghi, R., Strengers, Y., Goodwin, S., Pink, S., Rudolph, C., Raven, R., Bergmeir, C., Saunderson, J., Leslie, G., Gangadharan, L., Islam, A., Wang, L. C., Ward, M., Xiao, E., Wallace, M., Tack, G., Stuckey, P., Li, Y., Pan, S., de Nijs, F., Buckingham, E., Denis-Ryan, A., Ens, B., Dargaville, R., Chang, X., Yu, J., White, S., Zlatanov, N., Hyndman, R., Panagiotelis, A. & Athanasopoulos, G.
1/07/20 → 30/06/31
Project: Research
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Experimental evidence on adoption and impact of the system of rice intensification
Barrett, C. B., Islam, A., Mohammad Malek, A., Pakrashi, D. & Ruthbah, U., Jan 2022, In: American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 104, 1, p. 4-32 29 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Heterogeneous effects of health shocks in developed countries: evidence from Australia
Islam, A. & Parasnis, J., Oct 2022, In: Southern Economic Journal. 89, 2, p. 471-495 25 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
How do children of immigrants perform? Evidence from Australian nationwide standardized tests
Islam, A., Sarkar, D. & Smyth, R., Aug 2022, In: International Migration. 60, 4, p. 93-136 44 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Public support in the United States for global equity in vaccine pricing
Chan, Y., Datt, G., Islam, A., Rai, B. & Wang, L. C., 2022, In: Scientific Reports. 12, 1, 8 p., 8960.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
The long-term effects of genocide on antisocial preferences
Gangadharan, L., Islam, A., Ouch, C. & Wang, L. C., Dec 2022, In: World Development. 160, 15 p., 106068.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus)
Press / Media
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Empowering vulnerable women through entrepreneurship
Abu Zafar Shahriar & Asadul Islam
13/03/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Article/Feature