World Bank appoints Indermit Gill as chief economist

The World Bank Group has named Indermit Gill as chief economist and senior vice president for development economics.

He led the institution’s 2009 world development report on economic geography, and his work has focused on the concept of the “middle income trap,” which describes the economic stagnation that can occur once a country reaches a certain level of income.

Gill is currently vice president for equitable growth, finance and institutions at the bank, and takes up the new position on September 1.

Between 2016 and 2021, he was a professor of public policy at Duke University and non-resident senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution.

Gill has also taught at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago. He was a student of Nobel Laureates Gary Becker and Robert E. Lucas Jr., and holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.

Commenting on his appointment, World Bank President David Malpass said: “Indermit Gill brings to this role a combination of leadership, invaluable expertise and practical experience working with country governments on macroeconomic imbalances, growth, poverty, institutions, conflict, and climate change.” He added: “Indermit is widely respected for his intellectual contributions to development economics”.