Professor Ian Goldin is one of the world’s leading experts on globalisation, development, and systemic risk. He is Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow at Balliol College, and from 2006 to 2016 was the founding Director of the Oxford Martin School, which he... Read more
Professor Ian Goldin is one of the world’s leading experts on globalisation, development, and systemic risk. He is Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow at Balliol College, and from 2006 to 2016 was the founding Director of the Oxford Martin School, which he built into the University’s leading centre for interdisciplinary research into the great challenges of the 21st century.
At Oxford, Ian currently directs research programmes on Technological and Economic Change, the Future of Work, and the Future of Development. His scholarship and thought leadership bridge economics, technology, geopolitics, and social change, making him a sought-after advisor to governments, businesses, and global institutions.
Ian’s distinguished international career has included serving as Vice President of the World Bank and the Group’s Director of Policy and Special Representative at the United Nations (2001–2006). He was previously Chief Executive of the Development Bank of Southern Africa, where he worked closely with President Nelson Mandela in the post-apartheid transformation of South Africa, leading the bank to become the largest investor in infrastructure and local government across 14 African countries. Earlier roles include Principal Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Director of Programmes at the OECD Development Centre, where he directed global work on trade, environment, and sustainable development.
Ian has authored more than 60 journal articles and 25 acclaimed books, including Age of the City: Why Our Future Will be Won or Lost Together, The Shortest History of Migration, Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World, Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years, Age of Discovery, Is the Planet Full?, and The Butterfly Defect, in which he presciently warned of a devastating global pandemic. His most recent scholarly contribution on the causes of the productivity slowdown was published in the Journal of Economic Literature in 2024.
Beyond academia, Ian is a powerful voice in global media and public debate. He has presented three major BBC documentary series (After the Crash; Will AI Kill Development?; The Pandemic That Changed the World) and the BBC Radio 4 Analysis programme “The Death of Globalisation?”. He is a frequent contributor to leading outlets including The Guardian, Financial Times, and Foreign Affairs.
Recognised for his global leadership, Ian has been knighted by the French Government and named a World Economic Forum Global Leader of Tomorrow. He has provided advisory services to the IMF, UN, EU, OECD, and more than 100 Fortune 500 companies, and has served as a non-executive director of six publicly listed global firms, chairing multiple board committees. He is also a founding trustee of the Center for Future Generations and chairs CORE-Econ, the global initiative to transform the teaching of economics.
A charismatic and visionary speaker, Ian has addressed the World Economic Forum, TED, Google Zeitgeist, and countless other international platforms. His presentations challenge audiences to rethink the forces reshaping our economies and societies, offering fresh insights into how leaders, businesses, and citizens can navigate an increasingly turbulent world.
Ian Goldin examines the impact of the New World Order on businesses and societies around the world. President Trump has accelerated the underlying structural changes taking place. As Professor Goldin demonstrates, these include economic slowdown in Europe and North America and the rise of Asia and emerging markets,...