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US Election 2024
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Dany Bahar
Associate Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs, Faculty Affiliate of the Economics Department
Areas of Expertise
Entrepreneurship, Immigration, Displacement & Borders, Science & Technology Policy, Technology & Innovation , Trade
Areas of Interest
Gains from Migration, Economic Growth and Development, Productivity, Innovation, Structural Transformation.
Biography
Dany Bahar is an Associate Professor of the Practice at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. An Israeli and Venezuelan economist, he is also affiliated with the Growth Lab at the Harvard Center for International Development, the Brookings Institution, CESifo Group Munich and the IZA Institute for Labor Economics.
Bahar holds a B.A. in systems engineering from Universidad Metropolitana (Caracas, Venezuela), an M.A. in economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an M.P.A. in international development from Harvard Kennedy School and a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University.
Research
Bahar's research sits at the intersection of international economics and economic development. In particular, his academic research focuses on the diffusion of technology and knowledge within and across borders, as measured by productivity, structural transformation, exports, entrepreneurship and innovation, among other factors. Lately, his research has focused on migrants and refugees as drivers of this process and, more broadly, on the benefits that migrants and refugees bring to both their countries of origin and destination. His academic work has been published in top economic journals, and he often contributes to leading media outlets in the United States and around the globe.
Publications
[SELECTED PUBLICATIONS, FOR MORE SEE WEBSITE]
Bahar, D., A Hauptman, C Ozguzel and H Rapoport. "Migration and knowledge diffusion: The effect of returning refugees on export performance in the former Yugoslavia". Conditionally accepted by the Review of Economics and Statistics.
Bahar, D., AM Ibañez and S Rozo. "Give me Your Tired and Your Poor: Impact of a Large-Scale Amnesty to Undocumented Refugees". Journal of Development Economics. Volumen 151, June 2021, 102652
Bahar, D. "The hardships of long distance relationships: time zone proximity and the location of MNC’s knowledge-intensive activities". Journal of International Economics. Volume 125, July 2020, 103311.
Bahar, D., R Choudhury and H Rapoport. "Migrant inventors and the technological advantage of nations". Research Policy. Volume 49, Issue 9 (Special Issue STEM migration, research, and innovation), November 2020, 103947.
Bahar, D., and H Rapoport. "Migration, Knowledge Diffusion and the Comparative Advantage of Nations". The Economic Journal. Volume 128, Issue 612, July 2018, pp. F273-F305
Bahar D. "The middle productivity trap: dynamics of productivity dispersion". Economic Letters. Volume 167, June 2018, pp. 60-66
Bahar, D. and MA Santos. "One more resource curse: Dutch disease and export concentration". Journal of Development Economics, Volume 132, May 2018, pp. 102-114
Bahar, D., R. Hausmann, and C.A. Hidalgo. "Neighbors and the Evolution of the Comparative Advantage of Nations: Evidence of International Knowledge Diffusion?" Journal of International Economics, Volume 92, Issue 1, January 2014, pp. 111-123.
Recent News
A recent Forbes article cites Dany Bahar's research, which concludes there is no statistical difference in border crossings relative to the tightness of the U.S. labor market, regardless of the president.
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At this year's Master of Public Affairs Policy in Action Symposium, graduating MPA students presented on a wide range of policy issues from a variety of perspectives, in each case informed by the hands-on experience they gained working with an external organization.
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A recent op-ed in the Miami Herald references research by Associate Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs Dany Bahar.
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In an interview on NPR, Dany Bahar discusses the factors influencing migration and policy, arguing that the "border crisis" is a symptom of a larger issue in the job market.
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In a recent article for The Hill, Dany Bahar argues that despite stricter border enforcement narratives, migration in the Western Hemisphere is mainly driven by the strong U.S. labor market, a trend consistent for 25 years across different political administrations.
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