Biography
Saugato Datta is an applied economist who works at the intersection of international development and applied behavioral economics. He specializes in the nuanced application of insights about human behavior to program and policy design in low- and middle-income countries, the evaluation of these and other interventions using randomized control trials and other experimental and quasi-experimental methods. He is a founding partner at Venn Advisors, a boutique advisory firm that works with partners in the development and multilateral sectors (including UNDP, IFAD, the World Bank, etc) to build capacity for the impactful application of insights from behavioral economics to issues in global development. Most recently, his research has focused on the impact of planning and goal-setting tools on saving and productive investment among beneficiaries of unconditional cash transfer programs in sub-Saharan Africa. For over a decade, he led the international development portfolio at ideas42, a leading applied behavioral science firm, where he has overseen over 50 projects applying behavioral insights to issues in global health, social protection, sustainability, governance, labor market programs, and education, including over 20 randomized control trials. His research has been published in leading academic and policy journals, including the Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and World Bank Economic Review. Dr. Datta has a PhD in economics from MIT, and undergraduate and Master's degrees from the University of Delhi and Cambridge University.