IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath to leave post, return to Harvard University

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | Gita Gopinath, chief economist and director of the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), intends to leave the IMF in January 2022, and return to Harvard University as planned, the IMF announced on Tuesday.

“Gita’s contribution to the Fund and our membership has been truly remarkable — quite simply, her impact on the IMF’s work has been tremendous,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement.

“She made history as the first female Chief Economist of the Fund and we benefitted immensely from her sharp intellect and deep knowledge of international finance and macroeconomics as we navigate through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Georgieva said.

As part of her many significant initiatives, Gopinath co-authored the “Pandemic Paper” on how to end the COVID-19 pandemic that set globally endorsed targets for vaccinating the world.

She also worked with other IMF departments to connect with policy makers on a new analytical approach to help countries respond to international capital flows via the Integrated Policy Framework, the IMF said.

Prior to her appointment as IMF chief economist, Gopinath, a U.S. national and overseas citizen of India, was the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics in the economics department of Harvard University.

Harvard University had extended Gopinath’s leave of absence on an exceptional basis by one year, which has allowed her to serve as chief economist at the IMF for three years, according to the IMF.

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Xinhua