Renos Vakis is a Lead Economist with the Poverty and Equity Global Practice as well as a member of the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) team in the Development Research Group of the World Bank. His research focuses on poverty reduction, equity and gender, with a special emphasis on understanding how behavioral insights can influence policies and outcomes. He has written extensively on issues related to poverty dynamics and mobility, risk management, social protection, market failures and rural development, especially in Latin America and South Asia. He is also involved in the design of impact evaluation of anti-poverty interventions.

Currently he is leading the Behavioral Initiative for Poverty Reduction and Equity, which aims to integrate behavioral science in the design of social policies. Some of his ongoing projects include randomized trials on the long term impacts of cash transfers, improving parenting and early childhood outcomes, increasing TB adherence, and reducing teacher absenteeism. He also recently completed a book on Chronic Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean. As a member of the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) team, he is supporting the ongoing methodological research program to improve household survey measures and analysis of poverty, food security and behavioral indicators through experimental techniques.

He has also taught economics at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.