Jacques Charmes is an economist and statistician. Currently emeritus research director at the French Scientific Research Institute for Development (IRD), at the Centre for Population and Development (CEPED: University Paris Descartes-Ined-IRD), he was until recently director of the Department of Social and Health Sciences at this institute, and professor of economics at the University of Versailles and at the Institute for Political Science (Sciences Po) in Paris. He is currently research expert for the EU project Research, Network and Support Facility (RNSF) on “Support to enhance livelihoods for people dependent on the informal economy and to improve social inclusion of marginalised and vulnerable persons”.