Javier Baez is a Lead Economist for Southeastern Africa in the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity GP. He is currently based in Pretoria (South Africa) where he leads the analytical work on poverty, vulnerability and inclusive growth for countries in the subregion. Javier is also a Research Fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA). With extensive experience spanning countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, South and Central Asia, Javier focuses on analyzing the short- and long-term impacts of shocks on critical development aspects, alongside evaluating the efficacy of policies and initiatives aimed at poverty reduction and enhancing resilience to shocks. His research has been published in several academic journals. Javier earned his PhD in Economics from Syracuse University, a Master's Degree in Development Economics from Harvard University, and holds B.A. and M.Sc. degrees in Economics from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia.
