Skip to main content

Duke Center For International Development Announces New Director

World Bank Economist to Lead Sanford School’s International Development Center

Former World Bank economist Indermit Gill has been appointed the new director of the Duke Center for International Development.
Former World Bank economist Indermit Gill has been appointed the new director of the Duke Center for International Development.

Economist Indermit Gill will take the helm as director of the Duke Center for International Development (DCID) at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy on Oct. 1.

Gill is director for development policy in the Office of the Chief Economist at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Since joining the World Bank in 1993, he has held a number of leadership positions, including chief economist for Europe and Central Asia and staff director for the 2009 world development report on economic geography. He also was economic adviser in the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific Regional Office and lead economist for human development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

His pioneering work includes introducing the concept of the “middle income trap” to describe how developing countries stagnate after reaching a certain level of income.

“Dr. Gill has already begun to establish connections with potential colleagues around Duke and has had discussions with many of us about exciting possibilities for the future,” said Sanford School Dean Kelly Brownell. “He is a highly talented, collaborative and effective leader, and will add a great deal to the Sanford and Duke communities.”

Gill holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago and has taught at Georgetown University, the State University of New York at Buffalo and the University of Chicago.

DCID offers a mid-career master’s program in international development policy and executive education programs for development professionals. Its faculty members also provide policy advice and customized training around the world.

Gill succeeds the center’s interim director Jonathan Abels, who has led the organization since June 2015, and Visiting Professor of the Practice Francis Lethem, who directed the center from 2006 to 2015.