Adam Osman
Associate Professor of Economics, University of Illinois
Adam Osman is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign and the co-Scientific Director of J-PAL MENA. He is a development economist whose work utilizes randomized experiments and economic theory to improve our understanding of which policies work best in improving the lives of the poor. His work covers several topics including access to finance, private sector development, labor markets, international trade and transport frictions, with a special emphasis on issues that affect the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Areas of Interest:
- Development Economics
- Labor Economics
- International Economics
- Microfinance
Education:
- Ph.D., Economics, Yale University, 2014
- M.Phil., Economics, Yale University, 2011
- M.A., Economics, Yale University, 2009
Experience:
- Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2023 - Present
- Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014 - 2023
- Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Research Fellow, 2020-Present
Latest Publications:
- “The Demand for Mobility: Evidence from an Experiment with Uber Riders” with Peter Christensen & Gustavo Nino (September 2025) accepted at Journal of Political Economy
- “Big Loans to Small Businesses: Predicting Winners and Losers in an Entrepreneurial Lending Experiment” with Gharad Bryan & Dean Karlan, 2024, American Economic Review 114.9: 2825-2860
- “Is It Who You Are or What You Get? Comparing the Impacts of Loans and Grants for Microenterprise Development” with Bruno Crépon & Mohamed El-Komi, 2024, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 16.1: 286-313
What Do Jobseekers Want? Estimating Reservation Wages and the Value of Job Attributes
Areas of Interest: Development Economics Labor Economics International Economics Microfinance Education: Ph.D., Economics, Yale University, 2014 M.Phil., Economics,... Read More
November, 2020
Working PapersComparing Methods to Estimate Valuations of Job Attributes
Areas of Interest: Development Economics Labor Economics International Economics Microfinance Education: Ph.D., Economics, Yale University, 2014 M.Phil., Economics,... Read More
July, 2020
ERF 26th Annual Conference