Naotaka Sugawara is a Senior Economist in the Prospects Group at the World Bank. Previously, he was an economist in the Research Department of the International Monetary Fund and in the World Bank’s Office of the Chief Economist for Europe and Central Asia. He also worked in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit of Europe and Central Asia Region and in the Development Research Group at the World Bank. He has numerous research publications related to international economics and finance, fiscal policy and financial sector development. He received a Master’s degree in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. in Political Science from Meiji University, Tokyo.