WB chief economist to visit Dhaka next week

World Bank Chief Economist Kaushik Basu will visit Bangladesh next week at the invitation of the central bank.

Basu will give a public lecture on the challenges and prospect of the world economy, Bangladesh and regional cooperation, at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on December 13, Bangladesh Bank Chief Economist Biru Paksha Paul said at a media briefing yesterday.

Prior to his current posting, Basu served as the chief economic adviser to the government of India and is currently on leave from Cornell University where he is a professor of economics.

His contributions span development economics, welfare economics, industrial organisation and game theory.

In addition to Cornell, he has taught at the Delhi School of Economics, Harvard, Princeton and the MIT. He has published widely, including more than 160 papers in refereed journals and scholarly volumes.

Basu, also the senior vice president for development economics of the Washington-based lender, has written several books, including "Beyond the invisible hand: groundwork for a new economics" and "An economist in the real world: the art of policymaking in India".

He holds a PhD in economics from the London School of Economics. He is the second WB chief economist from a developing country and the first from India, according to the WB's website.