Dani Rodrik

Dani Rodrik is one of the most important political economists of our time. His ideas on customized economic growth strategies tailored to local conditions have had major influence on governments and multilateral institutions around the world. Best known for his prescient warnings about the downsides of a globalized economy, his research revolves around industrialization, globalization, political economy, and economic growth and development. His current work, as co-director of both the Reimagining the Economy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Economics for Inclusive Prosperity network, focuses on creating more inclusive economies in both developed and developing societies.

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Rodrik is the author of several books on globalization and world economics. His latest release is Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy. Said to present “a straightforward and readable agenda to make globalization serve democracy rather than undermine it,” the book was named a Best Book of the Year by Financial Times, Bloomberg, and Project Syndicate and won the George S. Eccles Prize for Excellence in Economic Writing. Previous titles include Economics Rules: The Rights and Wrongs of the Dismal Science; The Globalization Paradox; One Economics, Many Recipes; and Has Globalization Gone Too Far? Dani is also the editor of Combatting Inequality: Rethinking Government’s Role, a collection of essays from leading economists and policymakers on the most effective tools for addressing economic inequality.

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Among Dani’s many awards are the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought, the Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences, the inaugural Albert O. Hirschman Prize of the Social Science Research Council, and several honorary degrees from universities across the globe. Rodrik was named to the POLITICO 50 for predicting globalization populist backlash 20 years before it happened and is one of Prospect magazine’s Top 50 Thinkers. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a research fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Rodrik is a widely sought-after consultant to national governments and international organizations who has written for Project Syndicate for nearly 30 years. He served as President of the International Economic Association between 2021 and 2023 and helped found the IEA's Women in Leadership in Economics initiative. He currently serves as the Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School.