Associate Professor

Tomoko Utsumi

Profile

Faculty of International Liberal Arts Department of International Liberal Arts

Peace Research Institute

Graduate School of Graduate School of Economics Economics Major

Specialized Field	Development Economics
Research theme	Education and the labor market in developing countries
Laboratory Information	Global Square AW920
Subjects in charge	Principles of Economics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics
Main career, work history, and academic background	2006 Graduated from the College of Liberal Arts Soka University of America 2008 Master's Degree in Economics York University 2018 PhD in Applied Economics, University of Minnesota 2008-2013, 2016, 2017 Consultant, World Bank 2014-2017 Teaching Assistant, Department of Applied Faculty of Economics, University of Minnesota 2016-2017 Consultant, J-PAL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2018-2019 Research Fellow, Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office, Japan
Message	During your time at university, you may have endless worries about your studies and future career paths, but we will do our best to support you so that your student life at Soka University will be an invaluable asset to you. Let's spend this time together, learning, laughing, and talking in a fun way that will become a treasure for your life!

Specialized Field	Development Economics
Research theme	Education and the labor market in developing countries
research summary	My research interests include education policy in developing countries, informal labor, the impact of refugees on the labor market, natural disasters, and risk management for development. Recently, I have also been conducting research on primary and secondary education in Japan.
Research and Education Policy	In my research, I keep in mind the underlying principle of the SDGs, "leaving no one behind," and focus on two aspects: "labor," which is the foundation of people's lives, and "education," which opens up people's potential. The school's educational policy is to provide an education that will hone students' ability to think about things from multiple perspectives, as poverty is an issue that involves a complex web of various factors, and that will help them become conscious of "why they are learning" and develop the imagination to think about the people behind the data.
Main career, work history, and academic background	University of Minnesota Application Economics Major Completion of Doctoral Program PhD
Message	Graduate school study and research may take time to produce visible results. However, the unseen determination and accumulated effort will become important nourishment and will surely pave the way for a mission that only you can fulfill. Let's cherish the challenges and hardships we face today and build days here at Soka University that will become the axis of our lives!

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