Zaki Wahhaj

Reader in Economics, University of Kent

Zaki Wahhaj is a Reader in Economics at the University of Kent. Previously, he worked at University of Namur (Belgium) and the University of Oxford. He obtained a BSc in Economics with Mathematics from Yale University, and a PhD in Economics from MIT. His research deals with social norms and household decision-making in developing countries, including extended family networks, risk-sharing and formal insurance, microfinance and issues relating to early marriage and female education. He is Co-director of the Development Economics Research Centre at Kent (DeReCK) and an associate member of the Theoretical Research in Development Economics (ThReD) research network.

Recent work by Zaki Wahhaj

Can laws change attitudes and behaviours around child marriage in the absence of strict enforcement? Experimental evidence from Bangladesh

A video experiment uncovers the potential pitfalls of relying on legal reforms alone to reduce female early marriage in low-income countries

Articles : Institutions & Political Economy

Amrit Amirapu M Niaz Asadullah Zaki Wahhaj

Published 08.03.21
Early marriage and the persistence of traditional gender norms

Research in Bangladesh shows how early marriage contributes towards women expressing more traditional gender attitudes

Articles : Health & Education

M Niaz Asadullah Zaki Wahhaj

Published 11.03.19

Zaki Wahhaj

Recent work by Zaki Wahhaj

Can laws change attitudes and behaviours around child marriage in the absence of strict enforcement? Experimental evidence from Bangladesh

Early marriage and the persistence of traditional gender norms