Martin Abel joined J-PAL in August 2010 as Research Associate at the J-PAL Africa office in South Africa. He holds an MPA in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School and a diploma in economics from the Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Germany. His experience has involved work on capacity development projects in the Philippines, public health evaluations in India and research on the effects of ODA to Africa for the Institute for the World Economy, Kiel. His areas of interest include public health, education, and political economy.