India born Gita Gopinath appointed as the Chief Economist : IMF

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 01, 2018 :  Indian origin, Gita Gopinath appointed as Chief Economist by The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday .Gopinath, who is a US citizen, currently serves as a professor at the Harvard University. She is second Indian after Raghuram Rajan to be appointed IMF chief economist.

 

The appointed has been done by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde. In a statement, the IMF said, "India-born economist, Gita Gopinath Monday appointed as chief economist of International Monetary Fund."

Gopinath replaced Maury Obstfeld who will retire from IMF in December 2018. "Gopinath will succeed Maurice (Maury) Obstfeld, who would retire at the end of 2018," the IMF added.

She serves as the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University.

“Gita is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience,” IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.

In an interview last year, Gopinath had said that the demonetisation move undertaken by the Narendra Modi government was not a good idea.

“I don’t think I know a single macro economist who thinks that this was a good idea. I view the GST very favourably because that is a real reform. It is a way of formalising the economy. It is a very effective way of ensuring tax compliance and makes it harder to earn black money. But obviously it is going to take some time to smooth out; the implementation again has been disruptive. Which makes me wish they hadn’t done demonetisation is then you could have used that time to have brought in GST smoothly,” she had said.

Gopinath 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. She is co-editor of the current Handbook of International Economics with former IMF economic counsellor Kenneth Rogoff. She has authored some 40 research articles on exchange rates, trade and investment, international financial crises, monetary policy, debt, and emerging market crises.

Gita is a US citizen now and an overseas citizen of India. Her father, Gopinath hails from Kannur in Kerala state. She did her early studies in Mysore, Karnataka. She received her PhD in economics from Princeton University in 2001 after earning a BA from the University of Delhi and MA from both the Delhi School of Economics and University of Washington. She 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.