Dr. Arup Banerji is the World Bank’s global Director for Social Protection and Labor, overseeing the World Bank’s strategy and knowledge work on labor markets, social safety nets, pensions and disability issues.

In his career at the World Bank, he has worked on both research and operations in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East – on a variety of issues relating to employment and labor markets, social sector reforms, poverty reduction, institutions, public sector reform and governance, economic growth strategies and evaluation of programs.

He is a principal author of books including From Red to Gray on Aging Populations in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Enhancing Job Opportunities in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, World Development Report 2002 on the role of institutions in global economic development, Better Governance for Development in the Middle East and North Africa, World Development Report 1995 on labor markets, and numerous other refereed journal articles and discussion papers.

Prior to joining the World Bank, he taught at the Center for Development Economics at Williams College, Massachusetts, USA, where he was the Dean of Graduate Studies, and at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He holds a Ph.D. and a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Delhi, India.

He joined IZA as a Research Fellow in February 2011.