January 8, 2026
A guest essay on the new federal dietary guidelines cites research on the lifetime health benefits of limiting childhood sugar, co-authored by Paul Gertler.
Paul Gertler
Professor Paul Gertler is the Li Ka Shing Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley at the Haas School of Business, Faculty Director of the Institute for Business & Social Impact (IBSI), and Scientific Director of the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA).
Recent Journal Publications
See below for three recent Journal Publications.
Digital Collateral
Research Team: Paul J. Gertler, Brett Green, Catherine Wolfram
The Effects of Non-Contributory Pensions on Material and Subjective Well Being
Research Team: Rosangela Bando, Sebastian Galiani, Paul J. Gertler
Trust and saving in financial institutions by the poor
Research Team: Sebastian Galiani, Paul J. Gertler, Camila Navajas-Ahumada
Recent Working Papers
See below for three recent Working Papers.
Do Behavioral Frictions Prevent Firms from Adopting Profitable Opportunities?
Research Team: Paul J. Gertler, Sean Higgins, Ulrike Malmendier, Waldo Ojeda
Gender-Differentiated Digital Credit Algorithms Using Machine Learning
Research Team: Laura Chioda, Paul J. Gertler, Sean Higgins, Paolinda Medina
How Managers Can Use Purchaser Performance Information to Improve Procurement Efficiency
Research Team: Pablo A. Celhay, Paul J. Gertler, Marcelo Olivares, Raimundo Undurraga
Current Ongoing Projects
See below for three recent Ongoing Projects.
e-Collateral: Expanding Access to Credit through Digital Repossession
Research Team: Paul J. Gertler, Brett Green, David Sraer, Catherine Wolfram
Evaluation of University Health Services (UHS) Stepped Care Solutions
Research Team: Laura Chioda, Paul J. Gertler
Access to business credit – Migrante
Research Team: Paul J. Gertler, Ana María Montoya, Raimundo Undurraga
News and Events
Catch up on highlights of Paul Gertler’s work in News & Events below.
January 1, 2026
Dean Jenny Chatman says Haas will double down on ingenuity, determination, and collaboration, focusing on AI, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and healthcare; she cites research by Paul Gertler, Ambar La Forgia, and Jonathan Kolstad.
December 14, 2025
A new project led by Paul Gertler, the Li Ka Shing Professor of Economics, in conjunction with Marcelo Olivares and Raimundo Undurraga from the University of Chile, is aiming at modernizing the public procurement system through artificial intelligence (AI). The project will develop tools based on large-scale language models (LLMs) to support both public agencies in formulating requirements and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in identifying opportunities.
May 6, 2025
For decades, Berkeley Haas Professor Paul Gertler has studied the most effective ways to deliver healthcare, improve financial inclusion, reduce poverty, and boost early childhood development. But serving as chief economist of the Human Development Network at the World Bank from 2004 to 2007 gave him an even clearer sense of the difference he could […]
April 17, 2025
A low-sugar diet in utero and in the first two years of life lowers the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in adulthood by up to 35% and hypertension by up to 20%, according to a study published in Science and co-authored by Professor Paul Gertler. The research team reached their conclusions by comparing outcomes for […]