Kaushik Basu is now Chief Economist of World Bank

The World Bank on 5 September, 2012 named as its chief economist and senior vice President, placing a candidate from an emerging market country in a key position at the global development lender.

Basu, who was most recently chief economic adviser to the government of India, is the World Bank's second chief economist from a developing country. He replaces Justin Lin, a citizen of China, whose term expired on June 1, 2012.

Basu, who holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, is on leave from his position as a professor of economics and international studies at Cornell University in New York. He previously founded the Centre for Development Economics at the Delhi School of Economics.

Emerging market countries have long pushed for more clout at the poverty-fighting World Bank and its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund.

Starting from October, Basu will serve under new World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American and who took the helm of the World Bank two months ago.

List of World Bank Chief Economists

1. Hollis B. Chenery — 1972–1982
2. Anne Osborn Krueger — 1982–1986
3. Stanley Fischer — 1988–1990
4. Lawrence Summers — 1991–1993
5. Michael Bruno — 1993–1996
6. Joseph E. Stiglitz - 1997–2000
7. Nicholas Stern - 2000–2003
8. François Bourguignon — 2003–2007
9. Justin Yifu Lin — June 2008– June 2012
10. Martin Ravallion — June 2012- (Acting Chief Economist)