← Renos VakisShort CV · two pages

Renos Vakis

EconomicsBehavioral scienceHuman-centered AI
rvakis@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/renosvakis
Google Scholar · RePEc · SSRN
Washington, D.C.

Profile

Economist and behavioral scientist. I founded and lead the World Bank's behavioral science unit, eMBeD, which works with governments and project teams in more than 100 countries on how people actually decide and what policy should do about it. Since 2023 I have also built the Institute for Economic Development's applied AI, learning and diffusion systems, which put evidence in front of policymakers in more than 100 countries, and set up the measurement to know whether they work. Twenty years of randomized trials, ten years of building teams, and the last three shipping AI tools that governments use.

What I have built

eMBeD2015 – present
Founded and lead the World Bank's behavioral science unit, an interdisciplinary team that diagnoses what drives behavior, then designs and tests interventions with governments on learning, health, public services and the norms around natural resources.Built directly into $10 billion+ of World Bank lending a year · methods, tools and training reach across the Bank's roughly $70 billion annual portfolio
AVATrusted evidence
A citation-grounded AI assistant over the World Bank's report base that answers with page-level references and abstains when the evidence is insufficient. Adapted it to that evidence base and set up its ongoing evaluation, including a peer-reviewed field study (ACM CHI 2026).
LearningAt scale
A platform that turns research into structured courses, with AI in both design and delivery; a personalized AI tutor is in development.
DiffusionResearch to policy
An AI-assisted, editorially controlled podcast that distils recent research into short briefings in several language editions.
STORYeMBeD platform
A behavioral science platform for policymaking. Works backwards from a project's outcome: segment who needs to act, target message and messenger, test before spending, then measure against the project's own results framework.In pilot with country teams
DEC AICoordination
Coordinate AI work across the World Bank's Development Economics Vice Presidency: the research and product portfolio, training, and the standards behind it.

Experience

2015 – present
Founder and Head, Mind, Behavior, and Development Unit (eMBeD), World Bank, Development Impact Department.
2023 – present
Institute for Economic Development, World Bank. Knowledge diffusion, impact analytics and applied AI: AI product solutions, and the evaluation of the Institute's products, services and diffusion.
2003 – 2015
World Bank. Led policy dialogue, analytical and experimental work on poverty, inequality and mobility, applied to social protection, education, social cohesion, climate change and health.
1999
Visiting Researcher, Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE), Lima.

Education

2002
Ph.D., Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley.
1997
M.S., Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley.
1994
B.A., Economics, University of California, Davis.

Selected publications

  1. Karnatak, Chatila, Pinzón Hernández, Yazdanfar, Dugas & Vakis (2026). Learning from AVA: early lessons from a curated and trustworthy generative AI for policy and development research. Proceedings of CHI 2026, ACM.
  2. Barrera-Rodríguez, Macours, Premand & Vakis (2026). Texting parents about early child development: behavioral changes and unintended social effects. Journal of Development Economics.
  3. Macours, Premand & Vakis (2022). Transfers, diversification and household risk strategies: can productive safety nets help households manage climatic variability? The Economic Journal.
  4. Lourenço, Vakis & De Castro Zoratto (2022). The Behavioral Professional: Improving Decision-Making and Performance in the Public Sector. World Bank Group.
  5. Laajaj, Macours, Pinzón Hernández, Arias, Gosling, Potter, Rubio-Codina & Vakis (2019). Challenges to capture the Big Five personality traits in non-WEIRD populations. Science Advances, 5, eaaw5226.
  6. Bryan, Mazar, Jamison, Braithwaite, Dechausay, Fishbane, Fox, Gauri, Glennerster, Haushofer, Karlan & Vakis (2017). Overcoming behavioral obstacles to escaping poverty. Behavioral Science & Policy, 3(1), 81–91.
  7. Schady, Behrman, Araujo, Azuero, Bernal, Bravo, López-Boo, Macours, Marshall, Paxson & Vakis (2015). Wealth gradients in early childhood cognitive development in five Latin American countries. Journal of Human Resources, 50(2), 446–463.
  8. Macours & Vakis (2014). Changing households' investments and aspirations through social interactions: evidence from a randomized transfer program. The Economic Journal, 124, 607–633.
  9. Macours, Schady & Vakis (2012). Cash transfers, behavioral changes, and cognitive development in early childhood: evidence from a randomized experiment. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 4(2), 247–273.
  10. de Janvry, Finan, Sadoulet & Vakis (2006). Can conditional cash transfer programs serve as safety nets in keeping children at school and from working when exposed to shocks? Journal of Development Economics, 79(2), 349–373.

47 publications in total, including books and policy volumes · Google Scholar 6,300+ citations · h-index 32 · full record at scholar.google.com, RePEc and SSRN

Teaching

  • University of CyprusAdjunct Professor · Behavioral Insights for Policy, joint MSc in Economics & Psychology · 2022 –
  • World Bank training programsBehavioral science for policy (2015 –) · poverty, inequality & statistical capacity (2003 –)
  • Johns Hopkins UniversityAdjunct Professor · Applied Econometrics · 2007

Advisory & affiliations

  • Global Behavioral Evidence Network for DevelopmentCo-chair · 2025 –
  • Penn Center for Social Norms & Behavioral DynamicsAdvisory board · 2022 –
  • CUBIC, Save the Children InternationalAdvisory board · 2022 –
  • Penn Master of Behavioral & Decision SciencesAdvisory board · 2021 –
  • Vaccine Confidence FundAdvisory council · 2021 –
  • LACEA Behavioral Insights Network (BRAIN)Head · 2020 – 2023

Talks & writing

  • Leveraging behavioral science for development impactKeynote · Entertaining Change, World Bank, Abuja · 2025
  • World Bank Blogsblogs.worldbank.org/en/team/r/renos-vakis

Other

  • Journal refereeJ. Development Economics · World Development · World Bank Economic Review · J. Economic Inequality · JEEM · Economía & others
  • Executive producer, FeriadoFeature film · premiered at the Berlinale
  • Off the clockMagic · music · the occasional DJ set