The Inspirational Journey of Gita Gopinath
Dr. Hemant Panda | Professor and Principal of Economics In a recent seminar, we discussed the significant contributions of the Economist Gita Gopinath to the IMF and global economics.
Gita Gopinath is an Indian American economist. She is famous for many things, including being the first deputy director general of the International Monetary Fund. Gita had vast knowledge of economics and extensive experience in the field. She had a 2-decade-long career as an academician in economics at Harvard University. There, she was a Zwaanstra professor for international studies and economics.
Earlier, as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Booth School Of Business, Gita also worked as an honorary economic adviser to the Kerala government.
Gita took on her first role at the IMF when they appointed her as the Chief Economist in October 2018. In December 2021, the IMF promoted her to the position of First Deputy Managing Director. This is the second-highest position in the organization.
Gita was deeply involved in economics from a very young age. In 1992, Gopinath got her BA degree in economics from the prestigious Delhi University. In 1996, she earned her master’s degree from the Delhi School of Economics. She got her second master’s degree in economics from the University of Washington. In 2001, she earned her Ph.D. from Princeton University.
Shaping the Global Economic Landscape
She gained recognition for publishing several high-quality research papers. One of her most notable works is the “Pandemic Paper.” In this paper, she focused on strategies to end the COVID-19 pandemic. She also proposed globally endorsed targets to ensure worldwide vaccination efforts.
This paper played a crucial role in setting up a multilateral Task Force led by the IMF, World Bank, WTO, and WHO to end the pandemic. The group, formed in collaboration with vaccine makers, worked to identify trade barriers and supply bottlenecks. They aimed to accelerate vaccine delivery to low and lower-middle-income countries. This accomplishment remains one of the greatest achievements of her career. She also created the climate change team within the IMF to analyze global climate-related economic issues.
As the First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Gopinath represents the fund at multilateral forums. She maintains high-level contacts with member governments and board members. The media and other institutions lead the fund’s work on surveillance and related policies, oversee research and flagship publications, and the work of senior staff.
Gopinath was also earlier the Co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She is also a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank Of Boston, and a member of the Economic Advisory Panel of the Federal Reserve Bank Of New York.
Looking at all her achievements, she is the prime example of the quote “The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence.”
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