𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 & 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗔𝗘𝗖 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱!

We are thrilled to announce the Keynote Speaker and Distinguished Discussants for the 8th SANEM Annual Economists’ Conference (SAEC) 2025!

Conference Keynote Speech: “Implications of Geoeconomic Fragmentation for South Asia”
Date: Friday, 21 February 2025
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (GMT +6:00)
Platform: Zoom & Facebook Live
Register to join the session online: https://forms.gle/ziC5LPeNM8GosQZWA

𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿:

𝗗𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗶𝘀𝗸𝗮 𝗢𝗵𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲

Dr Franziska Ohnsorge is the World Bank’s Chief Economist for the South Asia Region, leading research on key economic issues to inform policy and World Bank lending. Previously, she managed the Global Economic Prospects report and held key roles at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund. Her research spans international macroeconomics and finance, covering debt crises, inflation, monetary policy, and labor markets, with work featured in leading journals and media outlets such as The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝗗𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗷𝗮𝗻

Dr Shanta Devarajan is a Professor of the Practice of International Development at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Dr. Devarajan is a leading global development economist and Chair of the Global Development Network (GDN). Previously, he spent nearly three decades at the World Bank, serving as Senior Director for Development Economics and as Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa, Africa, and South Asia regions, as well as the Human Development Network. He also co-directed the 2004 World Development Report, Making Services Work for Poor People. Before joining the World Bank in 1991, he was a faculty member at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Born in Sri Lanka, he holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an A.B. in Mathematics from Princeton University.

𝗗𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗕𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗮

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya is a distinguished Bangladeshi economist and public policy analyst, currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), where he was the first Executive Director. He has served as Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the WTO and UN Offices in Geneva and Vienna and as Special Adviser on LDCs to the UNCTAD Secretary-General. In 2024, he chaired the White Paper Committee, commissioned by Bangladesh’s interim government to evaluate 15 years of economic trends and propose policy recommendations. A member of the UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP), Dr. Bhattacharya has led major global initiatives, including founding the Southern Voice network and chairing the LDC IV Monitor. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Plekhanov Institute, Moscow, and was a post-doctoral fellow at Oxford University. His research focuses on pro-poor macroeconomics, LDC development, and the SDGs.

𝗗𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗸 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗿𝗮

Dr Deepak Mishra is the Director and Chief Executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). Prior to this role, he served as Practice Manager at the World Bank’s Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment Global Practice for the East Asia and Pacific region. His tenure at the World Bank included positions such as Co-Director of the World Development Report 2016 (Digital Dividends) and Country Economist for nations including Ethiopia, Pakistan, Sudan, Vietnam, and India. Dr. Mishra’s research has been featured in esteemed academic journals, including the Journal of Development Economics, the Journal of International Economics, and the Journal of Agricultural Economics. Born in Odisha, he earned his M.A. in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics and his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland.

𝗗𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗵𝗮𝗻, Professor of Economics at the University of Dhaka and Executive Director of SANEM will moderate the session.

Conference Agenda