Robert Aten

Robert Aten is Deputy Chief Economist of the Asia Near East region of USAID with a workload that focuses on economic governance and private sector development activities in Afghanistan, and other front line States. Previously, he worked nine years in Jakarta, Indonesia for USAID helping to manage one of USAID’s larger economic activities.

He was also Vice President and Chief Economist of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, Senior Economist at the US Treasury Department, and Senior Staff Economist on the US Joint Economic Committee. He has taught economics in the City University of New York, and worked in the New York City Bureau of the Budget, the US Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He holds a Ph.D. and an MA in Economics from New York University, an MA in Philosophy from the University of Chicago, and a BS in mathematics from the University of Illinois. He has about 40 economic publications.