Achim D. Schmillen is the World Bank¡¯s Lead Economist and Program Leader for Human Development for the EU Member States. Achim joined the World Bank in 2013 through the Young Professionals Program and from 2014 to 2020 was affiliated with the Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice. Thereafter, he was Practice Leader for Human Development for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, where he coordinated the World Bank¡¯s engagements on education, health, nutrition, social protection and jobs. He has led numerous advisory, knowledge and operational projects, including the World Bank¡¯s first Human Capital Development Policy Loan in East Asia.
Achim is the co-author and editor of several influential books and reports, including Managing Coal Mine Closure: Achieving a Just Transition for All, Migrating to Opportunity: Overcoming Barriers to Labor Mobility in South-East Asia and . His research has also been published in preeminent peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Comparative Economics, the Journal of Economic Geography and the Journal of Development Studies.
A frequent speaker at events organized by international organizations, governments, the private sector and academia, Achim has headed World Bank delegations to multiple G20 and APEC Senior Officials¡¯ Meetings, and his commentary has been featured in leading media outlets across Europe and Asia. Achim has a PhD in economics, and before joining the World Bank he held appointments with the University of California Los Angeles, America¡¯s National Bureau of Economic Research and the Leibnitz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, among others. He is based in Brussels, Belgium.