Markus Kitzmuller is Lead Country Economist and Prosperity Program Leader in the Early Childhood Development and Resilienc department. He previously was Acting Program Manager, Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment (MTI) Global Practice, Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions (EFI) Program Leader, Lead and Senior Country Economist across Western and Central Africa, overseeing complex, innovative Development Policy Financing operations. Markus has led the preparation of (macro-fiscal-growth and micro) economic analyses in Africa and South Asia, and, at the South Asia Chief Economist Office, conceived and spearheaded the regional South Asia Economic Focus. As a Young Professional, he focused on Competition Policy in Tunisia, Kenya and Turkey. Markus holds a PhD in Economics from the European University Institute, and degrees from the College of Europe (Bruges), the University of Innsbruck and LSE. He was a postdoctoral fellow at U of Michigan, a Visiting Scholar at U of Chicago and worked in the European Commission. His research at the cutting edge between micro and macroeconomics has been published in academic and policy journals.