Somik Lall is Senior Adviser to the Chief Economist of the World Bank Group.
Lall has recently directed the World Bank's that examines how middle-income countries can break into the ranks of the wealthiest economies.
Previously, he headed the climate economics and policy team in the World Bank¡¯s Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions vice presidency, where he developed and supervised policy research programs on resilience and economic development, the macro-criticality of climate change, and innovations for the low-carbon transition.
His other roles include being the Global Lead for territorial development and Lead Economist for the World Bank¡¯s Cities Practice where he developed a novel data-driven approach to help city mayors rapidly respond to protect their citizens from the ravages of COVID 19. Listen to his Monocle .
Lall is widely published in academic and policy journals. His 2021 book, Place, Productivity, and Prosperity, provides a new analytic framework to discipline policies targeting specific places within countries. His 2017 book, ¡°Africa's Cities: Opening Doors to the World,¡± provides new evidence on institutional and regulatory constraints that hobble urbanization in Africa.
Dr. Lall also teaches at Johns Hopkins University and has been a Visiting Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy in New Delhi.