ECONOMIC POLICY NETWORK

HELPING BUILD AND SUSTAIN ECONOMIC GROWTH COALITIONS

The Economic Policy Network helps local leaders build and sustain growth coalitions across politics, business, the civil service, and the public.

We are a small group of independent or university-affiliated specialists with deep practical economic, political, and policymaking experience.

We help to create economic growth strategies that are not just technically sound, but politically viable, understanding that our partners need to navigate complex political landscapes to build and sustain support for tough reforms.

LOCAL REALITY FIRST

We meet partners where they are. We accept that political contexts are messy and help leaders find practical, broadly-supported paths to growth.

TRUST THROUGH INDEPENDENCE

Our institutional and financial independence buy us the neutrality to speak hard truths and allow us to act as an honest broker locally and internationally

MOVE AT THE SPEED OF POLITICS

Political windows of opportunity open and close quickly. We deploy experts immediately when a window opens – and disengage if political will disappears.

OUR VISION: A WORLD WHERE COUNTRIES ACHIEVE ECONOMIC GROWTH TO END POVERTY

BEYOND POLITICAL CYCLES

Political time horizons are often short, but economic logic is long-term. We bridge this gap by helping leaders design reforms that are politically viable today and deliver prosperity tomorrow.

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

We advise against trading the well-being or natural habitat of future generations for short-term gains, ensuring that growth improves rather than degrades living standards

Founder and Principal Advisor

Stefan Dercon

Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, and former Chief Economist of the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Author, Gambling on Development.

Managing Director

Pascal Mensah

Based at the University of Oxford, he works at the nexus of capital markets and public policy, with prior experience at the (IFC) and on Argentina’s premiere macro and fixed-income team. His background spans start-up consulting and business development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Principal Advisor

Ken Opalo

Associate Professor at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. A leading expert on the political economy of institution building and legislative development in emerging markets. Author, Legislative Development in Africa.

Principal Advisor

Abebe Aemro Selassie

Visiting Fellow of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government. Former Director of the African Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Principal Advisor

Shantayanan Devarajan

Professor of the Practice of International Development at Georgetown University. Previously the Senior Director for Development Economics at the World Bank, where he also served as the Chief Economist for the Africa, South Asia, and Middle East & North Africa regions.

Principal Advisor

Nick Lea

Former Deputy Chief Economist at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and DFID. He has extensive experience leading economic policy dialogue and programming across Africa and Asia, specializing in growth diagnostics, public financial management, and the political economy of reform.

Senior Officer

Christian Lippitsch

Based at the University of Oxford, Christian leads applied research to support evidence-based economic policy making. Former Senior Country Economist for the IGC in Rwanda, where his work focused on private sector productivity, value chains, trade, and climate-related growth challenges.

ECONOMIC POLICY NETWORK

HELPING BUILD AND SUSTAIN ECONOMIC GROWTH COALITIONS

HOW WE WORK

LOCAL REALITY FIRST

TRUST THROUGH INDEPENDENCE

MOVE AT THE SPEED OF POLITICS

OUR VISION: A WORLD WHERE COUNTRIES ACHIEVE ECONOMIC GROWTH TO END POVERTY

LONG-TERM HORIZONS

BEYOND POLITICAL CYCLES

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

OUR TEAM

Stefan Dercon

Pascal Mensah

Ken Opalo

Abebe Aemro Selassie

Shantayanan Devarajan

Nick Lea

Christian Lippitsch

ABOUT US