Birgit Hansl, a German national, is the World Bank’s Lead Economist and Program Leader for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions for the Philippines in the East Asia and the Pacific Region. Since joining the Bank in 2005 through the Young Professionals Program, Birgit worked for the World Bank’s programs in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Prior to leading the Manila-based team for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions, she held the position of the Moscow-based Lead Economist and Program Leader for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions for the Russian Federation in the Europe and Central Asia Region. She is a highly experienced economist in the World Bank’s Macroeconomic and Fiscal Management Global Practice, with deep expertise in macroeconomic modelling and forecasting, public financial management and institution building, and growth and productivity analysis. Before joining the Bank, Birgit worked in academics and a number of bilateral and multilateral organizations, including the United Nations Development Program. Birgit holds a Ph.D. in Economics and a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics. She completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco and Berkeley. Her first degree was a Masters’ in Economics from the Humboldt University Berlin.