Magdalena Bendini is an economist who has been studying and working on issues related to human development and poverty for the last 15 years at the World Bank, OECD, UNDP and other international organizations. Her work over the last 5 years has focused primarily on early childhood development, as well as the development of skills over the life cycle. Prior to joining the WDR team, Magdalena spent a year in the Africa Chief Economist’s Office working on the Skills for Africa regional study. She also worked at the Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution on the Skills for a Changing World project. She holds a PhD in Public Policy from the University of Maryland.