Ben has over 15 years of experience on research, evaluation and policy issues spanning a diverse range of sectors including agriculture, youth development, infrastructure, microfinance, and education. His particular focus has been on land tenure and property rights issues in sub-Saharan Africa, and he has published peer-reviewed articles on this topic in Land Economics and the Journal of African Economies. His previous and current research topics include the causes and economic consequences of insecure land rights in Burkina Faso, the impact of land certification in Ethiopia on gender-based violence, and innovative approaches to extending credit to agricultural producers.
Ben holds a PhD in Applied and Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has previously held positions at USAID, MCC, NORC at the University of Chicago, Landesa, and on the faculty at Miami University of Ohio.