By Victoria Ruan
Dow Jones Newswires
January 19, 2008
BEIJING -(Dow Jones)- The World Bank is planning to name Justin Lin Yifu as its new chief economist to fill the vacancy left by Francois Bourguignon, who retired in October, a senior World Bank research official said over the weekend.
The official, who asked not to be named, told Dow Jones Newswires Saturday that the World Bank has "informally" announced the plan to its staff but the board of directors have yet to approve the decision. She declined to say how long the approval process may take.
The World Bank official said the proposed personnel change may have only a "limited impact" on the World Bank's operation.
Yet the new role of Lin, if approved, would underscore the World Bank's increasing emphasis on China's role in the world's economic development, she said.
Born in 1952, Lin earned his doctorate in economics at the University of Chicago in 1986. With research focused on development economics, he served leading roles at China's government think tank, the State Council Development and Research Center. He is the founder and director of the China Center of Economic Research at Peking University.
A Taiwanese originally named Lin Zhengyi, the legendary figure, who was serving in Taiwan's army, secretly swam across the Taiwan Strait in 1979 to the mainland's Fujian Province, according to media reports. He then pursued study of economics at Peking University before becoming an influential economist in China.
He earned numerous awards for his study on development economics, including China's agricultural economic issues.
Source: SmartMoney
World Bank Plans To Name Justin Lin Chief Economist - Source
