Catherine Guirkinger is Professor of Economics in the Center for Research in Economic Development (CRED) at the University of Namur (Belgium). Her main field is development economics and her main areas of research are microfinance (credit and insurance) and the economics of extended families, particularly in Africa. Most of her empirical work is based on first hand data she collected (or helped collect) in several countries (Peru, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso). She is also interested in economic history and currently focusing on the colonisation of Kazakhstan by Russian settlers in the 19th century. She teaches microeconomics (undergraduate level) and development economics (graduate level). She directs an Advanced Master Program in International and Development Economics that attracts about 20 students annually from all over the world. She is currently an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.