Book Launch: “How Does My Country Grow?"

The IGC and the Systemic Risk Centre co-hosted a seminar on the new book by Brian Pinto, How Does My Country Grow? Economic Advice Through Story-Telling.

The seminar was delivered by Brian Pinto, with Ron Anderson (Emeritus Professor of Finance, LSE) acting as chair. Willem Buiter (Global Chief Economist, Citigroup) and Jonathan Leape (Executive Director, IGC) acted as speakers.

Economists working on developing countries grapple every day with the widening chasm between academic and real world economics. Brian Pinto’s on-the-job learning at the World Bank was framed by two episodes—the transition to a market economy in Central and Eastern Europe, and the emerging market crises of 1997-2001—and four country experiences. He distils a pragmatic growth policy package and evaluates the macroeconomic policy debates that followed the aforementioned crises, concluding with lessons for low-income countries.

Brian Pinto is Chief Economist, Emerging Markets, at GLG in London. Earlier, he worked at the World Bank for close to 30 years, concentrating on transition economics, sovereign debt and economic growth. His field experience includes working as the Bank’s economist in Poland when its transition to a market economy began and subsequently in Russia, witnessing its 1998 crisis and subsequent recovery. He has published in the leading economic journals, including the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity and the Review of Economic Studies, and coedited a 2005 book, “Managing Economic Volatility and Crises: A Practitioner’s Guide”, with Joshua Aizenman.