About

Ravi Kanbur researches and teaches in development economics, public economics, and economic theory. He is well known for his role in policy analysis and engagement in international development. Kanbur has served on the senior staff of the World Bank, including as Chief Economist for Africa. He has published in leading economics journals such as the Journal of Political Economy, American Economic Review, Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Economic Theory, and Economic Journal. Kanbur has held prominent positions including Co-Chair of the Food System Economics Commission, Chair of the Board of United Nations University-World Institute for Development Economics Research, member of the OECD High Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance, President of the Human Development and Capability Association, President of the Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, member of the High Level Advisory Council of the Climate Justice Dialogue, Co-Chair of the Scientific Council of the International Panel on Social Progress, and member of the Core Group of the Commission on Global Poverty.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Economics
• Mathematics
• Political Science
• Environmental resource management
• Demography
• Economic growth
• Ecology
• Economic system
• Environmental planning
• Geography
• Demographic economics
• Environmental economics
• Business
• History
• Public economics
• Development economics

Selected publications

• Targeted versus universal benefits

  2025-10-16 · 1 citations

  book-chapter

  Abstract This study evaluates which type of benefit—a universal benefit, a proxy mean-tested benefit, or a categorical benefit—better cushions the poverty effects of income shocks in a developing economy. We compare the effectiveness of the three benefit schemes on poverty first conceptually and then by considering two different crisis scenarios, the COVID-19 pandemic and a hypothetical agricultural shock, in a tax–benefit microsimulation model for Ethiopia. The results suggest that while the proxy means-tested benefits are the most effective in reducing the poverty gap index, a simple categorical benefit is equally good in lowering the headcount poverty, in situations with and without crises. Universal benefits may lead to lower poverty increases when relatively more severe crises hit. This suggests that there could be a trade-off between minimizing poverty during normal times and offering protection against shocks when the poverty incidence changes.

  PublisherDOI

• Kuznets at 70: The enduring significance of a curve and a hypothesis

  Structural Change and Economic Dynamics · 2025-12-31

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• How does predistribution affect redistribution?

  The Journal of Economic Inequality · 2025-01-21

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• List of Abbreviations

  2025-10-16

  other
  PublisherDOI

• Optimal taxation in crisis times

  2025-10-16

  book-chapter

  Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic increased public debt and changed the income distribution in many countries. We use a numerical simulation approach to derive optimal non-linear marginal tax rates for the pre-crisis and crisis periods. We contribute to the literature by examining optimal tax rates numerically for a developing country and by investigating how the tax rates should be changed as a response to a crisis. Our results indicate that the actual extent of redistribution, especially via direct transfers to low-income individuals, should be considerably higher than what the present system offers. Because the crisis increased pre-tax inequality, the tax system should become more redistributive as a response to a crisis. We also demonstrate how a combination of a higher revenue requirement before the crisis and a lower revenue requirement after the crisis increases social welfare.

  PublisherDOI

• List of Figures

  2025-10-16

  other
  PublisherDOI

• Kuznets at 70: the enduring significance of a curve and a hypothesis

  Working Paper Series · 2025-06-01

  reportOpen access

  Seven decades ago, Simon Kuznets put forward the hypothesis that as economies developed, national inequality would first increase and then decrease—an inverted U-shape. He provided preliminary evidence for the hypothesis on the basis of the limited data available at the time, and theorized the genesis of the curve as arising from the twin forces of structural transformation of the economy and political economy pressures. Seven decades on, the Kuznets curve still has a hold on the development discourse as new data is used to test the hypothesis, new theories are elaborated to explain the evolution of inequality, and the metaphor of an inverse U-shape is extended beyond its original realm of national inequality. With this rich history and background, the time is right to examine the Kuznets curve literature broadly construed. This overview takes stock of what has been learned and highlights emerging research and policy questions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The social welfare value of the global food system

  Ecological Economics · 2025-08-26 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The global food system provides nourishment to most of the world's eight billion people, generates trillions of dollars of goods and services, and employs more than one billion people. On the other hand, it generates substantial dietary health costs and environmental harms. Policymakers are asking about the overall contribution of the global food system to social welfare and how much larger it might be on a sustainable path. This paper describes our efforts to answer these questions. We couple multiple domain-specific models into a large-scale integrated assessment modelling framework capable of quantifying the outcomes of different food-system scenarios for incomes, health and the environment up to 2050, at a highly disaggregated level. We take these multi-dimensional outcomes and value them using a system of nested utility functions, building on recent work in environmental economics. We find that, relative to current trends, the bundle of measures in a Food System Transformation scenario would provide a large boost to global social welfare equivalent to increasing global GDP by about 7 %. Changes in income, environment and health all contribute positively. Measures to change diets are particularly beneficial, although a caveat is that our welfare estimates exclude possible consumer disutility from dietary changes. The results are robust to changes in key utility/damage parameters.

  PublisherDOI

• A food system transformation pathway reconciles 1.5 °C global warming with improved health, environment and social inclusion

  London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) · 2025-12-19

  article

  The improvement of the global food system requires a thorough understanding of how specific measures may contribute to the system’s transformation. Here we apply a global food and land system modelling framework to quantify the impact of 23 food system measures on 15 outcome indicators related to public health, the environment, social inclusion and the economy, up to 2050. While all individual measures come with trade-offs, their combination can reduce trade-offs and enhance co-benefits. We estimate that combining all food system measures may reduce yearly mortality by 182 million life years and almost halves nitrogen surplus while offsetting negative effects of environmental protection measures on absolute poverty. Through joint efforts, including measures outside the food system, the 1.5 °C climate target can be achieved.

  Publisher

• A food system transformation pathway reconciles 1.5 °C global warming with improved health, environment and social inclusion

  Nature Food · 2025-12-19 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  The improvement of the global food system requires a thorough understanding of how specific measures may contribute to the system's transformation. Here we apply a global food and land system modelling framework to quantify the impact of 23 food system measures on 15 outcome indicators related to public health, the environment, social inclusion and the economy, up to 2050. While all individual measures come with trade-offs, their combination can reduce trade-offs and enhance co-benefits. We estimate that combining all food system measures may reduce yearly mortality by 182 million life years and almost halves nitrogen surplus while offsetting negative effects of environmental protection measures on absolute poverty. Through joint efforts, including measures outside the food system, the 1.5 °C climate target can be achieved.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Joachim De Weerdt

  KU Leuven

  116 shared

• Nancy H. Chau

  113 shared

• Luc Christiaensen

  104 shared

• Haroon Bhorat

  65 shared

• Jo Beall

  London School of Economics and Political Science

  63 shared

• Dennis Rodgers

  58 shared

• Bert Ingelaere

  University of Antwerp

  51 shared

• Kaushik Basu

  Cornell University

  44 shared

Awards & honors

• Chair of the Board of United Nations University-World Instit…
• Co-Chair of the Food System Economics Commission
• Co-Chair of the Scientific Council of the International Pane…
• Member of the OECD High Level Expert Group on the Measuremen…
• President of the Human Development and Capability Associatio…