Dr. Yanyan Liu is a Senior Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Her research has focused on program impact evaluation, microfinance, micro-insurance, and economic transformation. Her work has been published in journals such as Economic Journal, European Economic Review, Journal of Applied Econometrics, Journal of Risk and Insurance, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, World Bank Economic Review, and World Development. She received a joint PhD in economics and agricultural economics from Michigan State University in 2006. Prior to joining IFPRI in 2009, she worked for RTI International and for the Development Research Group at the World Bank.