Chinese economist Justin Yifu Lin is expected to be named as
senior vice-president and chief economist of the World Bank by the
end of this month, according to media reports.
Lin would replace French economist Francois Bourguignon, who
retired in October, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
reported.
The 56-year-old is co-founder and head of the Peking
University's China Center for Economic Research (CCER).
If picked for the post, Lin will become the first economist from
the developing world to hold it. The World Bank move is intended to
increase the presence of the developing world in the bank's senior
management, the WSJ report said.
Analysts see in Lin's candidacy a sign of China's increasing
links with the bank. As the largest developing country, China has
not only received loans from the World Bank, but has consistently
shared its developing experiences with it, helping it to better
carry out its aid programs around the world.
But Li Huafang, an economist with the Shanghai Institute of
Finance and Law, attributes the likely appointment more to Lin's
outstanding career than the fact that he is a Chinese.
"Lin is one of the most important economists in China working on
the rural economy," said Li. "He has put forward unconventional
ideas that have helped policymaking for the rural economy."
With his focus on development and institutional economics, Lin
is a suitable candidate for the World Bank post, said Lu Feng,
economist at CCER.
Lin was born in Taiwan. He holds a master's degree in political
economics from Peking University and obtained a doctorate in
economics from the University of Chicago in 1986. He conducted
post-doctorate research at the Yale University in 1987. He has been
a consultant to the World Bank since 1993.
(China Daily January 22, 2008)
