
Dr. Pongou is an associate professor of economics at the University of Ottawa. His primary research interests lie at the intersection of political economy, health, human capital, and economic development. His work explores the microeconomic foundation of formal and informal institutions and their impacts on various aspects of individual and societal well-being. His recent research examines political design, justice, and fairness issues in complex societies. He is also investigating the institutional and historical roots of economic and social inequality, human capital accumulation, fertility, and female empowerment in Africa. His research has been acknowledged for carefully integrating economic theory and empirical analysis.
Dr. Pongou is a recipient of multiple awards and fellowships. He is currently a Visiting Scientist at Harvard University. He was formerly a Visiting Scholar in the MIT Department of Economics. At Harvard University, he was a Bell Fellow at the Center for Population and Development Studies, a Fellow in the Takemi Program in International Health, and a Scholar in the Program on the Global Demography of Aging. He is an Affiliate of the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science and the Director of Research at the Global Economic Institute for Africa. He is a member of the American Economic Association, the Canadian Economic Association, the African Finance and Economic Association, the National Economic Association, the Econometric Society, the Population Association of America, and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population.