In March 2024 Daniel Lederman became Deputy Chief Economist for the Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions (EFI) Global Practice of the World Bank. Previously he served as Deputy Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa, Deputy Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lead Trade Economist in the World Bank's International Trade Department, Senior Economist in the Development Research Group (DECRG), and Senior Economist and Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean. Before joining the World Bank in 1995, he worked for the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mr. Lederman has written extensively on a broad set of issues related to economic development, including financial crises in emerging markets, crime, political economy of reforms, economic growth, innovation, international trade, and labor markets. His research has been published in the American Economic Review, Journal of Law and Economics, European Economic Review, Canadian Journal of Economics, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Economics and Politics, Journal of International Business Studies, among others. He has authored or coauthored several books, including The Political Economy of Protection; Lessons from NAFTA; From Natural Resources to the Knowledge Economy; and Does What You Export Matter? He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, and M.A. and PhD degrees in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He was born in Santiago, Chile and grew up in San José, Costa Rica, and Mexico City.