Achim D. Schmillen
Lead Economist and Program Leader for
Human Development for the EU Member States, The World Bank
Achim D. Schmillen is the World Bank’s Lead
Economist and Program Leader for Human Development for the EU Member States.
Achim joined the World Bank in 2013 through the Young Professionals Program and
from 2014 to 2020 was affiliated with the Social Protection and Jobs Global
Practice. Thereafter, he was Practice Leader for Human Development for
Indonesia and Timor-Leste, where he coordinated the World Bank’s engagements on
educaiton, health, nutrition, social protection and
jobs. He has led numerous advisory, knowledge and
operational projects, including the World Bank’s first Human Capital
Development Policy Loan in East Asia.
Achim is the co-author and editor of
several influential books and reports, including Managing Coal Mine Closure:
Achieving a Just Transition for All, Migrating to Opportunity: Overcoming
Barriers to Labor Mobility in South-East Asia and Balancing Workers’ Protection
and Labor Market Flexibility in China. His research has also been published in
preeminent peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Comparative
Economics, the Journal of Economic Geography and the
Journal of Development Studies.
A frequent speaker at events organized
by international organizations, governments, the private sector
and academia, Achim has headed World Bank delegations to multiple G20 and APEC
Senior Officials’ Meetings, and his commentary has been featured in leading
media outlets across Europe and Asia. Achim has a PhD in economics, and before
joining the World Bank he held appointments with the University of California
Los Angeles, America’s National Bureau of Economic Research and the Leibnitz
Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, among others. He is based in
Brussels, Belgium.