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Gonzalo Varela

Gonzalo Varela, Lead Economist and Program Leader, World Bank

Lead Economist and Program Leader

Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions

Gonzalo is the Lead Economist and Program Leader of the Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Practice Group for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, based in Manila. He specializes in growth, trade, and open macro, with more than fifteen years of experience in policy advisory, policymaking, operations, and research. His professional focus is on partnering with governments, development institutions, academia, and the private sector to combine global and local knowledge with adequate financing instruments to provide solutions to key development challenges that client countries face. He has worked in a vast number of countries, across all regions, and income levels mainly on issues related to economic performance, trade and investment policy and macro-trade linkages, and impact evaluations of public policies. He combines professional experience with the public and private sector as well as international organizations. His work has been published as reports, books, and articles in peer-reviewed economic journals. 

Gonzalo has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and a Master’s in International Economics from University of Sussex, as well as a PhD in Economics from the University of Sussex. 

He posts on X @gonwei.

  • Manila, Philippines