The Wheeler Institute is very pleased to host Ayhan Kose, Deputy Chief Economist at the World Bank Group on Wednesday 19th February 2025 for a discussion on the future of emerging and developing economies (EMDEs) at London Business School.
Drawing on the January 2025 edition of the Global Economic Prospects report, Mr. Kose will explore the forecast for global growth, which is expected to remain steady at 2.7 percent growth rate this year and next will be insufficient to foster sustained economic progress. Emerging market and developing economies—which began the 21st century making good progress on closing the income gap with advanced economies—are now, for the most part, falling farther behind. Most low-income countries are not on course to graduate to middle-income status by 2050. Policy uncertainty and the risk of trade disputes, geopolitical tensions, and climate-related natural disasters could further complicate the global economic outlook. What is next for emerging market and developing economies? What can policymakers do to accelerate growth?

Date: Wednesday 19th February 2025
Starting Time: 16:00 GMT
Location: LT17, Sammy Ofer Centre, London Business School, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4SA
About the speaker

Ayhan Kose is the Deputy Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Director of the Prospects Group, where he oversees global macroeconomic outlook, financial flows, and commodity markets. He leads the production of the Bank’s flagship reports, including Global Economic Prospects and Commodity Markets Outlook. Prior to the World Bank, Mr. Kose held key positions at the IMF, contributing to its analytical, policy, and operational work.
He has published extensively on international macroeconomics and finance in top academic journals and co-edited the book Falling Long-Term Growth Prospects, focusing on global growth drivers. His recent policy work addresses global inflation, debt challenges, and business cycles. Mr. Kose is also a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and has taught at prestigious institutions such as the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Iowa and a B.S. in industrial engineering from Bilkent University.