Ranjini Thaver

Biography

Ranjini Thaver, born in South Africa, completed her bachelor's degree, with honors, in economics at the University of Cape Town, and her master's and doctoral degrees in economics at the University of Notre Dame. She has taught at Stetson since 1992. She developed the first university-based micro-credit program in the world, located in a poverty-stricken area in DeLand, and in Manio Village, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. She has partnered with local and national organizations to deliver economically empowering programs to the poor, such as personal finance education workshops, and volunteer income tax preparation (VITA). She has taught courses in economics, Africana studies, gender studies and the honors program, and received Stetson University's McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has presented her research at international, national and local conferences, and at universities such as Cornell, Notre Dame and Mary Washington College.

Research Interest

Poverty and microcredit, Humane economics, International trade