Ruerd Ruben
Ruerd RUBEN is developmental economist and wrote his PhD on development processes in Latin America (Honduras). He is director of the SKU and Professor for the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies of Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen. His experience in research projects include recent appointments as project leader of a Nijmegen-based study on the “Analysis of micro-economic performance of horticultural households and firms”, in Senegal, West Africa and project leader of a study on “Migration, labour intensity and nutrient management” in Northern and Southern Burkina Faso. His research expertise was shaped by his extensive studies on family businesses and smallscale agriculture in developing countries. He is an experienced field researcher with ample knowledge of Central American and Sub-Saharan countries through several years of on-the ground presence, making him most competent to co-ordinate the INFOCON field research on African communities. In the past, Ruerd Ruben worked as a consultant for several international organisations and NGOs. He is a research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington D.C. and chairman of the Agrofair Assistance & Development. His numerous scientific publications in development economics include the co-edited book Rural development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policy Perspectives for agriculture, Sustainable Resource Management and Poverty Reduction, KIT Publishers, 2005 and the book Rural Development in Central America: Markets, Livelihoods and Local Governance, Macmillan Press, 1999. His highly relevant articles include “Social capital and household incomes in Nicaragua: the economic role of rural organization and farmers’ networks”, published in Proceedings XIII ASERCCA Conference, 1999. Ruerd Ruben will be the lead scholar for WP 4.