His previous assignments include a one-year spell with the Chief Economist office in South Asia region, and from July to December 2010 he served as the acting regional Chief Economist. Over the previous eight years Martin was the Lead Economist for Vietnam. In this capacity, he oversaw the analytical program of the World Bank in areas related to economic policy and poverty reduction. His tasks included the preparation of the annual Vietnam Development Reports. He was also the focal person in the policy dialogue with government in relation to economic reforms, and led a series of annual policy lending operations co-financed by a dozen donors. During this eight-year period, Vietnam went from HIPC graduation to IBRD borrowing, while delivering a strong performance in terms of economic growth, job creation and social inclusion. Prior to moving to operations, Martin spent ten years with the research department of the Bank, mainly stationed in DC, but providing cross-support to a large number of developing countries. The main focus of his work was on labor issues. He co-managed a large research program on the impact of labor market policies and institutions on economic performance. He was also responsible for a major research initiative on public sector downsizing and served as a member of the Social Protection Board of the Bank. His research activities led to numerous publications in academic journals. Martin Rama gained his Ph.D. in macroeconomics in France in 1985. In his home country Uruguay, he worked in CINVE, the country's largest think tank, and became one of its directors. In parallel with his World Bank duties, he was visiting professor in development economics at the University of Paris until 2005.