Members of the Expert group on Beyond GDP

Kaushik Basu

Carl Marks Professor of International Studies Cornell University

Kaushik Basu is Professor of Economics and Carl Marks Professor of International Studies at Cornell University. From 2012 to 2016, he was Chief Economist of the World Bank and from 2009 to 2012 he served as Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India. He was president of the International Economic Association from 2017 to 2021. He is currently the N. R. Kamath Visiting Chair Professor at IIT Bombay. Educated at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and the London School of Economics, Kaushik Basu has published widely in development economics, game theory and moral philosophy. His books include Analytical Development Economics, Blackwell Publishers, The Republic of Beliefs: A New Approach to Law and Economics, Princeton University Press, and Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, D.C., Simon and Schuster. In 2021, he was awarded the Humboldt Research prize.

Nora Lustig

Samuel Z. Stone Professor of Latin American Economics Tulane University

Nora Lustig is Samuel Z. Stone Professor of Latin American Economics and the founding Director of the Commitment to Equity Institute (CEQ) at Tulane University. She is also a nonresident scholar at the Brookings Institution, the Center for Global Development, the Georgetown University Americas Institute, the Paris School of Economics, and the Stone Center on Socioeconomic Inequality. Professor Lustig’s research is on economic development, inequality, and social policies with emphasis on Latin America. She has published more than ninety articles and fifteen edited volumes and books. Her recent publication  Commitment to Equity Handbook: Estimating the Impact of Fiscal Policy on Inequality and Poverty is a step-by-step guide to assessing the impact of taxation and social spending on inequality and poverty in developing countries. Prof. Lustig is the President of the Society for the Study of Economic Inequality (ECINEQ) and President Emeritus of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA).  She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Economic Inequality. She was a member of the Atkinson Commission on Poverty and the Commission on Measuring Economic Performance and Social Progress. In November 2021, she was recognized with the Tulane University Innovation Award. She received her doctorate in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Carol Graham

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies Program The Brookings Institution

Carol Graham is Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings, College Park Professor at the University of Maryland, and a Gallup Senior Scientist. She served on a National Academy of Sciences panel on well-being in 2012-13, received Pioneer Awards from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2017 and 2021, and a Lifetime Distinguished Scholar award from the International Society of Quality-of-Life Studies in 2018. She has twice served as a Vice President at Brookings, as Special Advisor to the IDB, and Visiting Fellow at the World Bank. Her most recent books (published in several languages) are: The Power of Hope: How Wellbeing Science Can Save us from Despair (Princeton, 2023); Happiness for All? Unequal Hopes and Lives in Pursuit of the American Dream (Princeton, 2017); The Pursuit of Happiness (Brookings, 2011); and Happiness around the World (Oxford, 2010). She has published articles in journals including Science, Social Science and Medicine, the Journal of Population Economics, Perspectives on Psychological Science; World Bank Research Observer; Health Affairs, Health Economics; and the Journal of Economic Literature. Her work has been reviewed in Science, the New Yorker, and the New York Review of Books. She has an A.B. from Princeton, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins, a D.Phil from Oxford, and three beautiful children.

Martine Durand

Senior International Expert and Consultant in Official Statistics

Martine Durand is currently an independent Senior International Expert and Consultant in Official Statistics. She is a Member of the French Official Statistics Authority and the co-Chair of the IAOS Krakow Working Group on Data Trust, Misuse and Ethics.

Martine Durand was previously the OECD Chief Statistician and Director of the Statistics and Data Directorate. She was responsible for providing strategic orientations for the Organisation's statistical policy and statistical activities. She led the OECD Better Life Initiative and launched the OECD flagship How’s Life: Measuring Well-Being report. She supervised a number of methodological guidelines on the development of official statistics covering a range of well-being domains. Together with Joseph Siglitz and Jean-Paul Fitoussi, she co-chaired the High-Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Progress (HLEG) that after ten years followed up on the work of the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission. She co-authored the HLEG report Measuring What Counts, the Global Movement for Well-Being and co-edited its companion volume For Good Measure: an Agenda for Moving Beyond GDP.

During her tenure as OECD Chief Statistician, she was involved in many international statistical activities. She was the Chair of the UN International Comparison Programme (ICP) and the co-Chair of the Committee on Coordination of International Statistical Activities.

Prior to that, she held several high-level positions at the OECD. She was the OECD Secretary-General's Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy-Director in the OECD Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Directorate, Senior Counsellor and Senior Economist in the OECD Economics Department.

Ms. Durand graduated in mathematics, statistics and economics from the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Economique (ENSAE), the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Paris-VI Sorbonne University.

Dr. Haishan Fu

World Bank Group Chief Statistician and Director, Development Data Group

Haishan Fu is World Bank Group’s Chief Statistician and Director of the Development Data Group. In this dual role, she leads and coordinates the Bank’s development data agenda, including oversight of cutting-edge global data public goods, pioneering public-private partnerships, globally trusted technical advisory services, and innovative financing solutions, including the World Bank-hosted Global Data Facility.  

A lifelong advocate for unlocking the power of data to improve lives, Haishan has been at the forefront of the global data discourse as a prominent thought leader, expert advisor, and academic and policy researcher for over three decades.  

Prior to joining the Bank, she led the regional statistical development programs in Asia and the Pacific at UNESCAP and was the first Chief of Statistics of UNDP’s Human Development Report.  Haishan holds a Ph.D. in Demography from Princeton University and a B.A. in Economics from Peking University.

Prof. Enrico Giovannini

Full professor at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" and Scientific Director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS)

Enrico Giovannini is full professor of Economic statistics and of Sustainable development at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and professor and the National School of Administration (SNA). He was Minister of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility in the Draghi government (2021–2022) and Minister of Labour and Social Policies in the Letta government (April 2013-February 2014). He is co-founder and Scientific Director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS), a coalition of more than 300 organisations established to implement in Italy the UN 2030 Agenda. He was Director of Statistics and Chief Statistician of the OECD (2001-2009), President of the Italian Statistical Institute (2009-2013) and visiting fellow at the European Political Strategy Centre of the European Commission (2014-2015). During his career he was chair or member of important national, European and international committees and bodies, In October 2014, the President of the Italian Republic made him “Cavaliere di Gran Croce al Merito della Repubblica”, the highest ranking honour of the Italian Republic. In January 2023 he received a honorary PhD in “Sustainable development and climate change”. He is the author of more than 130 articles published on national and international journals and eight books on statistical and economic topics.

Assem S. Algursan

General Director of Economic Statistics General Authority for Statistics, Saudi Arabia

Assem Algursan is a senior Saudi economist with over 20 years of experience in economic policy, financial stability, and economic statistics. He currently serves as General Director of Economic Statistics at the General Authority for Statistics, where he leads the development and modernization of Saudi Arabia’s national accounts, business statistics, trade, investment, price indices, and digital economy statistics. His work focuses on ensuring the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of official statistics to support policymaking and national development priorities.

Before his current role, Algursan held senior leadership positions at the Saudi Central Bank, including Director of Economic Research and Reports, Director of the G20 Finance Track Program, and Director of Monetary Policy and Financial Stability. He has contributed to the development of Saudi Arabia’s monetary policy framework, financial stability assessments, open market operations, and the preparation of key economic reports.

Algursan holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Oregon State University, a Master degree in Economics from the State University of New York, and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from King Saud University. He has participated in national committees related to monetary policy, financial stability, and economic statistics, and has contributed to Saudi Arabia’s engagement in G20-related work and international technical discussions.

Naila Kabeer

Emeritus Professor at the Department of International Development and Faculty of the International Inequalities Institute London School of Economics

Naila Kabeer (PhD. FAcSS) has long experience in research and teaching on the intersection between gender, poverty, labour markets, social protection and citizenship at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, the School of Oriental and African Studies, London and most recently at the London School of Economics. She works primarily in South and South-east Asia and also with partners in Africa and Latin America. She has published extensively in various books and journals. Her latest publications include her 2023 policy brief ‘From economic growth to the wellbeing economy’ and her 2024 book ‘Renegotiating patriarchy: gender, agency and the Bangladesh paradox’.  She is on the editorial boards of the journals Feminist Economics, Development and Change and Gender and Development and the advisory boards of United Nations Research in Social Development and the United Nations University- International Institute for Global Health. She has recently joined the UN Women Leaders Network. She has worked in an advisory capacity with various multilateral/regional organizations (e.g. World Bank and Asian Development Bank). bilateral organizations (e.g. DFID/FCDO, SIDA, CIDA and NORAD) as well as practitioner organizations, including OXFAM International, BRAC, Bangladesh and PRADAN, India. She is currently directing the Gender Justice and the Wellbeing Economy research programme at the International Inequalities Institute at the LSE.

Damien King

Executive Director The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI)

Damien King is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI), a think tank, and the Executive Chairman of Recycling Partners of Jamaica, a plastic recycling non-profit. He spent most of his career in the Department of Economics at the University of the West Indies, with publications in international journals, edited collections, and policy reports by CAPRI. He is the author and editor (with David Tennant) of Debt and Development in Small Island Developing States (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).

In the corporate world, Damien serves or has served on the boards of many organisations in the public and private sectors. In public service, he has served on state commissions at the national and international levels, including the CARICOM Commission on the Economy and the Government of Jamaica Commission on Tax Reform.

He earned a B.A. from York University (Canada), an M.Sc. from the University of the West Indies (Jamaica), and a Ph.D. from New York University (USA), all in economics.

Pham Khanh Nam

Rector of the College of Economics, Law and Government and Associate Professor of Economics, UEH

Dr. Nam Khanh Pham is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), Vietnam. He also serves as Rector of the College of Economics, Law and Government at UEH and as Director of the Environment for Development Center in Vietnam (EfD-Vietnam). His research focuses on environmental economics and sustainable development, with particular attention to the green transition in emerging economies. He has led and contributed to a range of interdisciplinary projects addressing climate resilience, vulnerability, inclusive growth, and the development of effective policy tools. Dr. Nam regularly collaborates with national and international partners to strengthen the evidence base for sustainability-oriented policymaking in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. His work supports the design of frameworks that integrate environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi

President & CEO African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET)

Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi is President and CEO of the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), Africa’s leading economic policy institute focused on moving Africa beyond growth and toward transformation. Ms. Owusu-Gyamfi’s career spans over twenty-five years in economic and social policy making and development, across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean working with institutions including the UK Department of International Development, Save the Children, and the Power of Nutrition. Over the last four years as Executive Vice President at ACET, she has been instrumental in crafting ACET’s strategy, and driving its effectiveness and partnerships. She has helped create a stronger ecosystem of policy institutes across the continent, mobilized essential resources for ACET’s long-term sustainability, and recruited top talent to bolster ACET’s research, advisory, advocacy, and thought leadership capabilities. Ms. Owusu-Gyamfi is a Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow and holds an MPhil from the University of Sussex.

Mari Pangestu

Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Indonesia for Trade and Multilateral Cooperation

Mari Pangestu is the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Indonesia for International Trade and Multilateral Cooperation, and Vice Chair of the National Economic Council. She previously served as the President’s Special Envoy for Climate Finance and advised the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs on sustainability, energy transition, and blended finance (2023–2024). From 2020 to 2023, she was Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships at the World Bank. Earlier, she was Indonesia’s Minister of Trade (2004–2011) and Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (2011–2014).

She has over 30 years of experience across academia, diplomacy, international organisations and government. She is currently Professor of International Economics at the University of Indonesia and a Board Member of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta. She is also a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, as well as an Honorary Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the Australian National University, and her PhD in economics from the University of California, Davis.

Joseph E. Stiglitz

University Professor Columbia University

Joseph E. Stiglitz is an American economist and a professor at Columbia University. He is also the co-chair of the High-Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress at the OECD, the co-chair of The Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT) and the Chief Economist of the Roosevelt Institute. Stiglitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001. He is a former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank and a former member and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Stiglitz founded the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, a think tank on international development based at Columbia University, in 2000. He has been a member of the Columbia faculty since 2001 and received that university's highest academic rank (University Professor) in 2003. In 2011 Stiglitz was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2024 he was named an Honorary Academician by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He is the author of numerous books, including, most recently, The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society.

Leonard Wantchekon

James Madison Professor of Political Economy Princeton University

Leonard Wantchekon is the James Madison Professor of Political Economy, Professor of Politics, and international Affairs at Princeton University. He is the Founder and President of the African School of Economics (ASE) and the Pan African Scientific Research Council. He received his PhD in Economics from Northwestern in 1995 and was on the faculty at Yale and New York University.

His research centers on political economy, development economics and economic history with regional focus on Africa and methodological focus on Experimentation. His substantive topics include democracy and development, education and social mobility, and the long-term social impact of slavery and colonial rule. He published in leading academic journals such as American Economic Review, American Political Science Review, Journal of Development Economics and the Quarterly Journal of Economics. Finally, Wantchekon is the 2023 winner of Global Economy Prize, awarded by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society (an international society for the advancement of economic theory in its relation to statistics and mathematics) He served as Vice President of the American Political Science Association and is on the Executive Committee of the International Economic Association.