Dany Bahar

Associate Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs, Faculty Affiliate of the Economics Department
Areas of Expertise Entrepreneurship, Immigration, Displacement & Borders, Science & Technology Policy, Technology & Innovation , Trade
Areas of Interest Gains from Migration, Economic Growth and Development, Productivity, Innovation, Structural Transformation.

Biography

Dany Bahar is an Associate Professor of the Practice at the Watson Institute in Brown University. An Israeli and Venezuelan economist, he is also affiliated to the Growth Lab at Harvard Center for International Development, the Brookings Institution, CESifo Group Munich and IZA Institute of Labor Economics.

Bahar holds a B.A. in systems engineering from Universidad Metropolitana (Caracas, Venezuela), an M.A. in economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an M.P.A. in international development from Harvard Kennedy School, and a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University.

Research

Bahar's research sits at the intersection of international economics and economic development. In particular, his academic research focuses on the diffusion of technology and knowledge within and across borders, as measured by productivity, structural transformation, exports, entrepreneurship and innovation, among other factors. Lately, his research has focused on migrants and refugees as drivers of this process and, more broadly, on the benefits that migrants and refugees bring to both their countries of origin and destination. His academic work has been published in top economic journals, and he often contributes to leading media outlets in the United States and around the globe.

Publications

[SELECTED PUBLICATIONS, FOR MORE SEE WEBSITE]

Bahar, D., A Hauptman, C Ozguzel and H Rapoport. "Migration and knowledge diffusion: The effect of returning refugees on export performance in the former Yugoslavia". Conditionally accepted by the Review of Economics and Statistics.

Bahar, D., AM Ibañez and S Rozo. "Give me Your Tired and Your Poor: Impact of a Large-Scale Amnesty to Undocumented Refugees". Journal of Development Economics. Volumen 151, June 2021, 102652

Bahar, D. "The hardships of long distance relationships: time zone proximity and the location of MNC’s knowledge-intensive activities". Journal of International Economics. Volume 125, July 2020, 103311.

Bahar, D., R Choudhury and H Rapoport. "Migrant inventors and the technological advantage of nations". Research Policy. Volume 49, Issue 9 (Special Issue STEM migration, research, and innovation), November 2020, 103947.

Bahar, D., and H Rapoport. "Migration, Knowledge Diffusion and the Comparative Advantage of Nations". The Economic Journal. Volume 128, Issue 612, July 2018, pp. F273-F305

Bahar D. "The middle productivity trap: dynamics of productivity dispersion". Economic Letters. Volume 167, June 2018, pp. 60-66

Bahar, D. and MA Santos. "One more resource curse: Dutch disease and export concentration". Journal of Development Economics, Volume 132, May 2018, pp. 102-114

Bahar, D., R. Hausmann, and C.A. Hidalgo. "Neighbors and the Evolution of the Comparative Advantage of Nations: Evidence of International Knowledge Diffusion?" Journal of International Economics, Volume 92, Issue 1, January 2014, pp. 111-123.

Recent News

Dany Bahar recently co-authored a paper for The Review of Economics and Statistics titled "Migration and Knowledge Diffusion: The Effect of Returning Refugees on Export Performance in the Former Yugoslavia."
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According to a study by economists Dany Bahar (Brown University and Harvard Growth Lab), Natalie A. Carlson (The Wharton School, UPENN) and Zeke Hernandez (The Wharton School, UPENN). hiring H-1B visa holders can improve a company’s existing products in foreign countries and lead to new products in export markets.
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