India-born Harvard professor Gita Gopinath appointed IMF Chief Economist
India-born Harvard professor Gita Gopinath was on Monday appointed chief economist at International Monetary Fund. Gopinath will succeed Maurice Obstfeld, who will retire at the end of this year. The appointment is noteworthy as she is the second Indian to hold the position after former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan.
She currently serves as the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University.
“Gopinath is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience,” IMF MD Christine Lagarde said while announcing the appointment.
A US citizen, Gopinath has roots in Kerala’s Kannur district. In 2016, her appointment as economic adviser to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan created a flutter as her views on economic policies were not in line with the Leftist ideology.
Known for making candid remarks, an article which she wrote for Project Syndicate became a subject of discussion in India as she was seen supporting demonetisation. “Modi’s policy intervention is bold, and the economic principles motivating it are beyond reproach. But a gradualist approach that includes the permanent withdrawal of large notes would have served the cause better, even if it did not generate the same “shock and awe” as the current policy,” she wrote.
Gopinath received her Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in 2001 after earning a B.A. from the University of Delhi and M.A. degrees from both Delhi School of Economics and University of Washington. She joined Harvard in 2005.
The economist joined the University of Chicago in 2001 as an Assistant Professor before moving to Harvard in 2005.
She became a tenured Professor there in 2010.
According to the IMF statement, Gopinath who is a US citizen and an Overseas Citizen of India is co-editor of the American Economic Review and co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
She is co-editor of the current Handbook of International Economics with Former IMF Economic Counsellor Kenneth Rogoff.
Gopinath has authored some 40 research articles on exchange rates, trade and investment, international financial crises, monetary policy, debt, and emerging market crises.