Martha Chen, Lecturer in Public Policy
Martha Chen, Lecturer in Public Policy, is coordinator of the global research policy network Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO). An experienced development practitioner and scholar, her areas of specialization are gender and poverty alleviation with a focus on issues of employment and livelihoods.

Before joining Harvard University in 1987, she lived for 15 years in Bangladesh where she worked with BRAC, one of the worlds largest NGOs, and in India where she served as field representative of Oxfam America for India and Bangladesh.

She is the author of numerous books including, most recently, Progress of the Worlds Women 2005: Women, Work, and Poverty; Women and Men in the Informal Economy: A Statistical Picture; and Perpetual Mourning: Widowhood in Rural India. Chen received a PhD in South Asia regional studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Martha Chen
Lecturer in Public Policy
Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations





Office Address

Rubenstein-118




Mailing Address

John F. Kennedy School of Government


Mailbox 32

79 JFK Street

Cambridge, MA 02138






Contact


Phone: 617-495-0797

Fax: 617-496-2828


Email:
Martha_Chen@ksg.harvard.edu




Assistant



MaryBeth Graves
(617-496-7037)



Profile


Martha Chen, Lecturer in Public Policy, is coordinator of 
the global research policy network Women in Informal Employment: 
Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO). An experienced development 
practitioner and scholar, her areas of specialization are gender 
and poverty alleviation with a focus on issues of employment and 
livelihoods. Before joining Harvard University in 1987, she lived 
for 15 years in Bangladesh where she worked with BRAC, one of the 
worlds largest NGOs, and in India where she served as field 
representative of Oxfam America for India and Bangladesh. She is 
the author of numerous books including, most recently, Progress 
of the Worlds Women 2005: Women, Work, and Poverty; Women 
and Men in the Informal Economy: A Statistical Picture; and 

Perpetual Mourning: Widowhood in Rural India. Chen received 
a PhD in South Asia regional studies from the University of 
Pennsylvania.



Courses

Fall

  • 
PED-375 

The Informal Workforce in a Global Economy





Media Expertise

Martha Chen welcomes media inquiries on the following subjects:


Additional experts may be found by clicking on each subject listed. You may contact faculty directly or if you need assistance contact the Communications Office at 617-495-1115.


Research

Research for a complete list of faculty citations from 2001 - present, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School Research Report Online.


Selected Publication Citations:



  • Academic Journals
    • 

    • Book Chapters
      • Research Papers/Reports