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Alumnus Dr Christiaan Grootaert Establishes Scholarship Fund
Dr. Christiaan Grootaert has fond memories and a particular love for Hawaii, stemming from his years as a UH student. Originally from Belgium, Dr. Grootaert graduated from UH with a PhD in Economics in 1978. His dissertation is entitled Patterns of Final Demand and Income Distribution: The Case of Japan. After graduation, Dr. Grootaert joined the World Bank.
Although his focus in graduate school was macroeconomics in Asia, one of his first projects at the World Bank was in West Africa. He has since been working in poverty assessment. One of his main projects was the Social Capital Initiative, a program which provided assessment tools in understanding and using social capital to reduce poverty and ensure more sustainable development around the world. In addition, Dr. Grootaert was also one of the founders of the Living Standards Measurement Study which created a world-wide system for the collection of poverty data. He has authored numerous books and articles addressing the measurement and analysis of poverty; education and labor markets; child labor; and the role of institutions and social capital in the development of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
Dr. Grootaert lived in Hawaii in the beginning of its cultural renaissance. He loves Hawaiian music, particularly the work of Gabby Pahinui, and Kahiko style hula. Given his appreciation for Hawaiian culture, he views economic education as an integral part of empowerment to the Native Hawaiian community. He has returned to Hawaii for the first time in 20 years to begin a scholarship fund for undergraduates at UH with priority for Native Hawaiians studying Economics.
The first scholarship recipient is Lisa Abalos. Lisa is an economics major graduating Fall 2005. Her plan is to pursue a Masters in Economics in order to teach Economics at her alma mater, Kamehameha Schools.
Dr. Grootaert is retired from the World Bank and living in Virginia.
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