Abdi Zihaul

Abdi joined the Growth Lab as an applied Research Fellow in 2025.

Before joining the Growth Lab, Abdi was an Analyst at Prospera, Australia’s economic advisory program in Indonesia, where he led research and policy engagement on trade, investment, and competitiveness. He advised senior officials at various economic ministries in Indonesia on reforms related to non-tariff barriers, special economic zones, and the energy transition.

He has also worked as an Economist at Grab where he applied causal inference methods to high-frequency transaction data to inform pricing strategies.

At Harvard, Abdi interned with the Growth Lab, contributing to Morocco’s Growth Diagnostics by performing a data-driven analysis of the country’s special economic zones and how they may align with its green growth agenda.

Abdi holds a Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BSc in Economics from Universitas Indonesia. His research interests include industrial policy, trade and investment, innovation, and green growth in emerging markets.