Bruce Robert Bolnick – 50th Reunion Essay

Bruce Robert Bolnick

135 Perkins Row

Topsfield, MA 01983

bbolnick@gmail.com

Spouse(s): Doreen Bolnick (1969)

Child(ren): Daniel Bolnick, (1974)

Grandchild(ren): Miriam Bolnick (2008); Eliana Bolnick (2011)

Education: Yale, BA 1969; Yale, M.Phil. 1971; Yale, PhD 1972

Career: Economics professor 1972-1996 at U Nairobi, Duke, & Northeastern; economic policy advisor and consultant with the Harvard Institute for International Development and Nathan Associates Inc.; overseas postings in Kenya, Indonesia, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe.

Avocations: Music (classical guitar), natural history, hiking, birding, cycling, reading

College: Trumbull

During freshman year, my Econ 10 instructor revealed a fascinating and new way (to me) of understanding the world through economics. I was excited to learn about the “magic of the marketplace,” the problems created by market failures, and the power of economics to address public policy issues. Applying this analysis to the challenges of economic development became my life’s work.

After graduation, I stayed at Yale for my PhD. My dissertation examined the theory and history of public goods provision, focusing on how social interactions could (probabilistically) overcome the free rider problem. On finishing my doctorate, I took a detour from the usual academic track to teach at the University of Nairobi, on local salary—my “home-made Peace Corps.” With my wonderful wife, Doreen, I had a great time exploring Kenya on a shoestring budget before the country became a haven for mass tourism.

I was eager to teach economics to the first generation of African scholars, but I also wanted to convince future African leaders to resist western materialism. My students reacted by asking: “Who are you to tell us that we should not want to have indoor plumbing, nice clothes, a car, and a solid roof over our heads?” So I learned, early on, to view economic development through the eyes of those we are trying to help.

After two years in Nairobi, I joined the faculty at Duke as a development economist. My colleagues discouraged me from continuing my dissertation research, suggesting that I was wasting my time on “sociology.” Bad timing! This later became a hot subject for research. From Duke, I joined the Harvard Institute for International Development, advising the central bank in Indonesia on an early microcredit program. I then joined the faculty at Northeastern, while continuing to work with HIID off and on. In 1996, I moved to HIID full time, until Harvard closed down the Institute (due to a scandal in Russia—good story!). That landed me with Nathan Associates, an international economics consulting company, as chief economist for the International Group.

Overall, I spent more than 14 years overseas, including advisory positions in Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, in addition my work in Kenya and Indonesia. And yes, some of this work actually did make a difference.

I retired in 2013, but still do intermittent consulting, most recently involving Myanmar, Mozambique, Nepal and the Philippines. I’m still fascinated by the power of economic analysis to make a difference, especially in the world’s poorest countries. At the same time, I’m constantly mindful of how much we don’t know, and how much the appropriate policy solutions depend on particular conditions in each country.

My retirement activities to date have also included an addiction to the great outdoors, volunteering for two environmental organizations (the AMC and Mass Audubon), and getting serious on studying classical guitar.