## Nikola L. Spatafora

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### Professional experience
- INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, 2017 – Present
  - Senior Economist, African Department, and Institute for Capacity Development.
  - Led research and capacity development activities related to economic diversification & industrial policy; management of natural resources; inclusive growth; and climate change.
- WORLD BANK, 2013 – 2017
  - Lead Economist, East Asia & the Pacific.
  - Coordinated World Bank macroeconomic research on the region.
  - Led teams producing:
    - The East Asia & Pacific Economic Update, a biannual analysis of development trends and economic policy issues across the region.
    - The Flagship Report on Inclusive Growth in East Asia & the Pacific.
  - Organized high-level seminars and conferences, including as part of the IMF – World Bank Annual and Spring Meetings.
- INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, 1997 – 2012
  - Senior Economist, Research Department.
  - Led research projects on growth and trade issues, including cross-departmental projects analyzing:
    - Diversification, structural transformation, and quality upgrading in LICs.
    - The impact of the global financial crisis on LICs.
  - Authored more than ten IMF World Economic Outlook policy studies.
  - Economist, European Department, and Fiscal Affairs Department; participated in over 15 IMF Program and Surveillance Missions, including to Russia and to North Macedonia.
- WORLD BANK, Development Economics Research Group, Washington DC
  - Consultant, 1995, 1994, 1993.

### Education
- YALE UNIVERSITY
  - Ph.D., Economics, 1997.
  - M.Phil., 1994. M.A., 1993. Distinction in both M.Phil. and M.A. final exams.
- OXFORD UNIVERSITY
  - B.A., Politics, Philosophy & Economics, 1991.
  - Double First-Class Honors in Degree Exams and Mid-Program Exams.

### IMF country experience and missions
- Country Officer: Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, Russia.
- Missions & Review: Albania, Brazil, China, Greece, India, Ireland, Japan, FYR Macedonia, Oman, South Africa, Turkey.

### Selected publications and authored works
- 2023, “AI Specialization for Pathways of Economic Diversification,” Nature Scientific Reports 13, 19475 (with J. Kim, R. Koopman, et al.).
- 2022, “Industrial Policy for Growth and Diversification: A Conceptual Framework,” IMF Departmental Paper 2022/017 (with R. Cherif & F. Hasanov).
- 2020, “Export Quality in Advanced and Developing Economies: Evidence from a New Data Set,” IMF Economic Review 68(2): 421–451; World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 8196 (with C. Henn, C. Papageorgiou, & J. Romero).
- 2018, Riding the Wave: An East Asian Miracle for the 21st Century, Washington DC: The World Bank (with C. Ruggeri Laderchi, S. Shetty, & S. Zaidi).
- 2017, “Remittances and Vulnerability in Developing Countries,” World Bank Economic Review 31(1): 1–23; World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 6812; IMF Working Paper 14/13 (with G. Bettin & A. Presbitero).
- 2015, “Diversification, Growth, and Volatility,” Chapter 3, Frontier and Developing Asia: The Next Generation of Emerging Markets, ed. A. Schipke; World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7380 (with C. Papageorgiou & K. Wang).
- 2010, “The Impact of the Boom in Global Finance on Developing Countries,” Chapter 2, World Bank Global Economic Prospects 2010: Crisis, Finance, and Growth.
- 2009, “Oil Shocks and External Balances,” Journal of International Economics 77(2): 181–194, April; CEPR Discussion Paper 6303, IMF Working Paper 07/110 (with L. Kilian and A. Rebucci).
- 2009, Structural Reforms and Economic Performance in Advanced and Developing Countries, IMF Occasional Paper 268.
- 2008, “Remittances, Transaction Costs, and Informality,” Journal of Development Economics 86(2): 356–366, June; World Bank WPS 3704 (with C. Freund).
- 2008, “Globalization, Commodity Prices, and Developing Countries,” IMF World Economic Outlook, April.
- 2007, “The Changing Dynamics of the Global Business Cycle,” IMF World Economic Outlook, October.
- 2007, “Decoupling the Train: Spillovers and Cycles in the Global Economy,” IMF World Economic Outlook, April.
- 2006, “Asia Rising: Patterns of Economic Development and Growth,” IMF World Economic Outlook, September.
- 2006, “Oil Prices and Global Imbalances,” IMF World Economic Outlook, April.
- 2005, “Building Institutions,” IMF World Economic Outlook, September.
- 2005, “Workers’ Remittances and Economic Development,” IMF World Economic Outlook, April.
- 2004, “How Will Demographic Change Affect the Global Economy?” IMF World Economic Outlook, September.
- 2004, “China’s Emergence and Its Impact on the Global Economy,” IMF World Economic Outlook, April.
- 2003, “How Concerned Should Developing Countries be about G-3 Exchange Rate Volatility?” IMF World Economic Outlook, September.
- 2003, “Growth and Institutions,” IMF World Economic Outlook, April.

### Working papers (selected)
- 2021, “Education and Health for Inclusiveness”, IMF Working Paper 21/60.
- 2021, “Regional Disparities, Growth, and Inclusiveness”, IMF Working Paper 21/38.
- 2019, “Quality Upgrading and Export Performance in the Asian Growth Miracle,” IMF Working Paper 19/259.
- 2013, “Export Quality in Developing Countries,” IMF Working Paper 13/108.
- 2012, “Economic Diversification In LICs: Stylized Facts and Macroeconomic Implications,” IMF Staff Discussion Note 12/13.
- 2012, “Commodity Price Shocks and Fiscal Outcomes,” IMF Working Paper 12/112.
- 2012, “Capital Inflows, Financial Development, and Domestic Investment: Determinants and Inter-Relationships,” IMF Working Paper 12/120.
- 2012, “Structural Transformation and the Sophistication of Production,” IMF Working Paper 12/59.
- 2011, “Global Shocks and Their Impact on Low-Income Countries: Lessons from the Global Financial Crisis,” IMF Working Paper 11/27; DIIS Working Paper 2011:07.
- 2010, “The End of an Era? The Medium- and Long-Term Effects of the Global Crisis on Growth in Low-Income Countries,” IMF Working Paper 10/205.
- 2009, “Commodity Terms of Trade: The History of Booms and Busts,” IMF Working Paper 09/205.
- 2007, “Asia Rising: A Sectoral Perspective,” IMF Working Paper 07/130.
- 2003, “The Equilibrium Real Exchange Rate in a Commodity Exporting Country: The Case of Russia,” IMF Working Paper 03/93.
- 1999, “Macroeconomic and Sectoral Effects of Terms-of-Trade Shocks: The Experience of the Oil-Exporting LDC,” IMF Working Paper 99/134.

### Additional professional activities and teaching
- YALE UNIVERSITY
  - Teaching Assistant / Lecturer, 1993–1997: Graduate International Economics, Graduate Macroeconomics, and Undergraduate Macroeconomics.

### Scientific software and languages
- Scientific Software: E-Views, Matlab, R, STATA.
- Languages: Educated in English since the age of 9. Native Italian. Superior French.

### Refereeing activity
- Referee for: American Economic Review, Economic Journal, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Population Economics, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economics and Statistics, Review of Economic Studies, World Development, and World Bank Economic Review.

### Contact information
- Email: nspatafora@imf.org, nspatafora@gmail.com
- Address: 700 19th St NW, Washington, DC 20431
- Tel.: +1 (301) 541-8317
- Personal site: sites.google.com/site/nspatafora

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/cv/pdfs/nikola-spatafora.pdf_