Esther Duflo

Correspondence with Banerjee: 'Let's test this hypothesis rigorously.'

On politics: Aid must be accountable to those it serves.

Personal reflection: Academia is a marathon, not a sprint.

Professional observation: RCTs are the gold standard in development.

Aphorism: Listen more, lecture less in poverty alleviation.

From Nobel speech: 'Evidence matters more than ever.'

Witty remark: 'Economists don't predict; we explain after the fact.'

Art of economics: It's like painting with data.

Life lesson: Failure in experiments teaches more than success.

Interview quote: 'Gender equality is economic sense.'

Key work excerpt: 'Savings devices can break poverty cycles.'

Joke: 'Why do economists love RCTs? Because they're not guessing.'

Wisdom: Patience is the economist's virtue.

Philosophy: Human behavior defies simple models.

Personal: Becoming a mother reshaped my view of policy.

Speech excerpt: 'The poor are innovative under constraint.'

Comeback: 'Critics say RCTs are limited; I say they're essential.'

On art: Stories from the field are as vital as numbers.

Politics: Climate change hits the poor hardest; we must act.

Reflection: Meaning comes from impacting lives directly.