William Easterly

William Easterly is an esteemed economist who focuses on development economics, the study of poverty and its consequences. He is a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, and a co-director of the World Bank's Development Research Group.

Easterly has written several books on his various areas of research and is most known for his pioneering work in economics which has focused on issues such as poverty, globalization and development. His most notable works include The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good (2006) and The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics (2002).

In The White Man's Burden, Easterly draws from research and practical experience in development, to identify the reasons behind why poverty persists despite efforts in aid and development. He asserts that many of the established methods for providing aid have failed to help the poor and that top-down solutions are often at odds with the evidence from development success stories. He highlights that instead of providing blanket solutions, the best way to combat poverty is through inventive and realistic approaches that take into account local cultures, markets, and individual needs.

The Elusive Quest for Growth is a work of careful economic analysis which draws on the “Washington consensus”, a set of principles agreed upon by countries, institutions and markets during the 1980s and 90s which has since been largely dismissed by contemporary economists. In this book, Easterly argues that growth is not a mechanical process and requires a good understanding of politics, culture, and good governance. He believes that economic reform is best achieved when it is tailored to each country’s specific circumstances and when policies are based on local knowledge and feedback from the people themselves.

Easterly has also provided leadership and advice to a range of organizations including the World Bank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, CGD, and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. He applies his unique style of development economics to influence international economic policies to combat global poverty. He has been called a “development guru” by the Wall Street Journal due to his highly respected status among his peers.

William Easterly is recognized as one of today’s leading economists when it comes to the study of poverty, development, and globalization. His infectious positivity combined with a blunt and honest approach to development economics has brought a fresh perspective to the ongoing fight against poverty and has made him a leader within the field. His works emphasize the importance of involving the locals in both the creation and implementation of policies for economic reform, as well as the need to fit policy-making to the unique circumstances of each country. Such bold and creative thinking has, and will undoubtedly continue to, shape the way in which development and aid are tackled in the years to come.