About Me
Dany Bahar is an Israeli and Venezuelan economist. He is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Migration Program at the Center for Global Development, a Washington DC think tank. He holds a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard University.
He is affiliated with Brown University where he has served as Professor of Practice, and is a member of The Growth Lab at Harvard, as well as other international research networks.
Scroll to explore my journey
My grandparents' wedding, Caracas, October 1949
I was born in Venezuela to a family of Holocaust survivors who found refuge in Caracas.
Their journey—from survival to rebuilding a life in a new land—profoundly shaped how I see the world, and ultimately, my research.
Raised in Caracas, I earned my first degree in Systems Engineering from Universidad Metropolitana.
Venezuela gave me not only my early education but a deep appreciation for the complexities of developing economies—and the human stories behind economic data.
Caracas, Venezuela
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
I moved to Israel to complete an MA in Economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
During my time there, I worked across both public and private sectors, and served in the Israel Defense Forces.
This period shaped my understanding of how nations build competitive advantages—and the role of human capital in that process.
I moved to the United States to pursue doctoral studies at Harvard University.
There I earned an MPA in International Development from the Kennedy School and a PhD in Public Policy.
At Harvard, I developed the research framework that would define my career: understanding how knowledge moves across borders through the movement of people.
PhD graduation, Harvard, 2014
Bahar presenting at the plenarium of the 49th OAS General Assembly, Medellín, 2019, alongside OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro
My career sits at the intersection of rigorous academic research and real-world policy impact.
I've consulted for the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, and in 2019 served on an OAS task force on the Venezuelan migration crisis.
My academic work appears in top economics journals, and I regularly contribute to leading media outlets around the globe.
Translating evidence into policy is what drives my work.
I've been fortunate that my research has informed policy discussions at the highest levels—from government ministries to international summits.
It's a privilege when rigorous evidence can contribute to decisions affecting millions of lives.
The question that drives my research: why are some countries rich while others remain poor?
I've come to believe that human mobility holds much of the answer—and that understanding this has profound practical implications for policy in today's world.
Read my full research statement →