Alain de Janvry was awarded the 2025-2026 Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award, honoring Emeriti Professors in the University of California system. Professor de Janvry, a Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School and Professor Emeritus of Agricultural and Resource Economics, retired in 2017.
He has sustained a field-defining presence in development economics, agricultural policy, poverty alleviation, and the political economy of institutions. Through ongoing collaborations with scholars and international development organizations, he remains an influential voice in the global conversation on economic development, evidence-based policy, and risk management for vulnerable populations. Additionally, he has published landmark studies in the American Economic Review and AEJ: Applied Economics on bureaucratic incentives, disaster recovery, technology diffusion, and insurance adoption. His service on scientific councils has anchored rigorous, policy relevant editorial curation and broadened access for applied research communities worldwide. Professor Emeritus de Janvry’s field experiments on subjective performance evaluations in China, index-based disaster funds in Mexico, and the diffusion of climate-resilient rice varieties in India exemplify his rigorous empirical approach. He has shaped research agendas through major monographs on disaster risk finance, and impact evaluation methodologies. His experimental and quasi experimental studies, ranging from randomized farmer training interventions to regression discontinuity analyses of disaster funding, have directly influenced program designs across governments and NGOs. He remains a dedicated mentor, advising graduate students, junior faculty, and practitioners, and continues to advance the use of evidence in policy design and implementation.
The official Announcement at UCLA can be found HERE.
Alain donated the monetary prize to the department "in support of student research. (He) hope(s) that this prize will continue to motivate emeriti to pursue teaching, research, and service in retirement, thus contributing to the excellence of our extraordinary UC community."
Congratulations, Alain, we are thankful for your generosity and are blessed to have you in Giannini, enriching the ARE community!