Matthew D. Bird’s research examines how critical and dynamic capabilities influence the decisions individuals and organizations make to advance what they perceive as human development, with focus on migration, financial inclusion, education, and transitional justice. This framework guides his applied research, which evaluates via randomized trials and other quasi-experimental methods how social interventions help actors make more autonomous decisions when facing an arc of political and economic possibilities.
Professor Bird leverages this expertise to consult or collaborate on projects in partnership with governments, foundations, and multilateral organizations including the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), World Food Programme, Sparkassen Stiftung, International Red Cross, Sesame Street Workshop, and the national governments of Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, and Uganda.