John Firth
John Firth is Director of Global Health and Development. Before joining Rethink Priorities, he held academic positions at Oxford University and the University of Notre Dame, was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Global Development, and lived in India for two years running randomized trials with J-PAL South Asia. He holds a PhD in Economics from MIT, and a BA in Philosophy from Notre Dame.
Research Articles
Overview and funding priorities for reproductive health in East and Francophone West Africa
Full title: Medical manufacturing and regional regulatory harmonization efforts. Overview and funding priorities for reproductive health in East and Francophone West AfricaExecutive summaryThis report provides a high-level overview of key…
Cost-effectiveness analysis of Lafiya Nigeria intervention
Editorial noteThis document is intended to explain some of the modeling decisions we made in assessing the cost-effectiveness of Lafiya Nigeria’s intervention, along with some considerations for scaling and potential…
What Do Increasing AI Capabilities Mean For Global Health and Development?
How AI may supercharge existing GHD programs depends on which constraints actually hold developing countries back, and whether AI represents a help or hindrance against those constraints. We examine the question through three traditions or ‘lenses’ from development economics.
Gavi Marginal Funding and Fundraising Support 2023
Editorial Note This report was commissioned by Coefficient Giving (then Open Philanthropy) and originally produced by the Global Health and Development Department of Rethink Priorities in October 2023. We revised…
Enabling AI for good: Challenges and Opportunities
Editorial Note This report was commissioned by Coefficient Giving (CG) and produced by Rethink Priorities from November 2025 to January 2026. We lightly edited the report for publication. Coefficient Giving…
Where Better Data Matters Most. Prioritizing Disease Burden Data Gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa
This report examines data gaps in high-disease burden estimates in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular attention to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)’s Global Burden of Disease framework.