Prof. Dr. Michael U. Klein

Personal Details

Michael Klein specializes in public policy analysis for the private sector, development policy and scenario development. He is a Senior Visiting Professor at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced international Studies and a Visiting Professor at the Kennedy School, Harvard. Until 2009 he was Vice President for Financial and Private Sector Development for the World Bank Group as well as Chief Economist, International Finance Corporation (IFC). Prior to this, as Director of the joint Bank/IFC Private Sector Advisory Services Department he covered advice on investment climate, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, privatization transactions and foreign investment. As Chief Economist of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group (1997-2000) he advised on worldwide economic developments and industry issues. He joined the World Bank in 1982 as an economist on oil and gas projects, trade and industrial policy, financial sector reform and macro-economic analysis. In 1991 he became head of the unit for non-OECD economies at the Economics Department of OECD. In 1993 he re-joined the World Bank as Senior Manager, Private Participation in Infrastructure, focusing on issues of market structure, regulation, privatization and project finance in the telecommunications, transport, energy and water sectors. Before joining the World Bank, Mr. Klein was active in Amnesty International since 1974 and served on its German Board (1977-79) and International Executive Committee (1979-82). Mr. Klein studied in Bonn, New Haven and Paris and received his doctorate in economics from the University of Bonn, Germany.