Oxford Development Economist Sabina Alkire Joins Elliott School

Dr. Alkire comes to the university as the Oliver T. Carr Jr. Professor in International Affairs.

December 15, 2014

Sabina

Sabina Alkire will join the Elliott School of International Affairs.

After directing Oxford University’s Poverty and Human Development Initiative for eight years, distinguished development economist Sabina Alkire will join the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs as the Oliver T. Carr Jr. Professor in International Affairs. 
 
Dr. Alkire will hold positions at both GW and Oxford universities before starting her singular appointment at the Elliott School in fall 2016.
 
Dr. Alkire has gained global recognition for her work on multidimensional poverty measurement and analysis, development economics, the measurement of freedoms and human development. In addition to leading Oxford’s Poverty and Human Development Initiative, she served as a research associate at Harvard’s Global Equity Initiative from 2003 to 2014. 
 
“She is both a renowned scholar and a leader in the field of international development studies,” said Elliott School Dean Michael E. Brown. “She will substantially enhance GW’s intellectual firepower and elevate GW’s institutional standing in the field of economic development, which is both a global and a GW priority.”
 
Former Board of Trustees Chair Oliver T. Carr established a professorship in his name to recruit leading scholars in international affairs to GW. Dr. Brown adds that Dr. Alkire’s deep involvement in the work of the World Bank and the United Nations, particularly in development of post-2015 Millennium Development Goals, make her ideal for the position—“a very big step forward for GW and the Elliott School.”
 
Dr. Alkire has authored more than 60 papers on human security and poverty measurement. Her 2002 book, “Valuing Freedoms,” is widely regarded as an important contribution to development studies literature. She will publish a forthcoming book, “Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis: A Counting Approach,” through Oxford University Press in 2015. 
 
In 2010, Dr. Alkire was recognized by Foreign Policy magazine as one of its “Top 100 Global Thinkers” for her work with Oxford research associate Maria Emma Santos and GW professor James Foster on the development of a multidimensional measurement for evaluating poverty.
 
“I have worked closely with Dr. Alkire over the last few years, tackling crucial issues in development economics and developing the multidimensional poverty index, which has now been adopted by the United Nations and many individual governments around the world,” said Dr. Foster. “She is not only a leader in the field, but also an excellent colleague. I look forward to what can be accomplished as Dr. Alkire moves from Oxford to GW.”
 
The Elliott School has made three other senior faculty appointments this year: Christopher Kojm, former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, who returned to GW this fall; Allison Macfarlane, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, who will lead the Center for International Science and Technology Policy starting in January; and Hugh Gusterson, an internationally recognized anthropologist currently in residence at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.