Roberta Gatti serves as the Chief Economist for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (MENAAP) region at the World Bank. In this capacity, she is responsible for the regional macroeconomic outlook and the semi-annual publication of the Economic Updates. She directs analytical work to support the Bank’s operations and economic surveillance across countries in the region, and leads the regional Gender Innovation Lab. Previously, as Chief Economist for the Human Development practice group, Roberta co-led the conceptualization and launch of the World Bank Human Capital Index and shaped the Service Delivery Indicators data initiative. She began her career at the World Bank as a Young Professional in the Macro unit of the Development Research Group, subsequently leading analytical agendas on growth, firm productivity, social inclusion, health, and labor markets, including serving as the Global Lead for Labor Policies. Roberta has also managed large teams and lending portfolios in both the MENAAP and Europe and Central Asia regions.
Her research has been published in top field peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Economic Growth, and the Journal of Development Economics. Roberta is the lead author of several flagship reports, such as Jobs for Shared Prosperity: Time for Action in the Middle East and North Africa; Being Fair, Faring Better: Promoting Equality of Opportunity for Marginalized Roma; The Human Capital Project; The Human Capital Index 2020 Update; and The Quality of Health and Education Systems Across Africa.
Roberta holds a B.A. from Università Bocconi and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. She has taught undergraduate, masters, and Ph. D. courses at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. She is also a frequent lecturer and keynote speaker at universities and policy events around the world.
Roberta’s research is published in top field journals such as the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Economic Growth, and the Journal of Development Economics. Roberta is also the author of numerous flagship reports, including Jobs for Shared Prosperity: Time for Action in the Middle East and North Africa; Being Fair, Faring Better: Promoting Equality of Opportunity for Marginalized Roma; The Human Capital Project; and The Human Capital Index 2020 Update: Human Capital in the Time of Covid-19.
Roberta holds a B.A. from Università Bocconi and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. She has taught at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities.