Achim D. Schmillen
Lead Economist for Social Policy for
the EU Member States, The World Bank
Achim D. Schmillen is the World Bank’s
Lead Economist for Social Policy for the EU Member States. Achim joined the
World Bank in 2013 through the Young Professionals Program. From 2014 to 2020,
he worked on social protection and jobs topics in various countries in South,
East and South-East Asia. Thereafter, as Practice Leader for Human Development,
he coordinated the World Bank’s programs on education, health, nutrition,
social protection and jobs in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. He has led numerous
advisory, knowledge and operational World Bank projects, including the first
Human Capital Development Policy Loan in East Asia and a 1-billion-dollar
operation to strengthen the supply of medical care professionals in Indonesia.
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 Balancing Workers’ Protection
and Labor Market Flexibility in China. His research has also been published in
preeminent peer-reviewed journals, such as Labour Economics, the Journal of
Economic Geography and World Development.
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.