Bjorn-Soren Gigler

Björn-Sören Gigler is a Senior Governance Specialist at the Innovation Practice at the World Bank Institute. He is a political economist and since the end of the 1990s he has worked on issues related to innovative uses of information and communications technology (ICT) for development and empowerment. He currently coordinates the Mapping for Results initiative, which visualizes the location of donor-funded projects to better monitor project impact, improve aid effectiveness, and enhance transparency and social accountability.

Mr. Gigler previously held the position of Visiting Assistant Professor for Political Economy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He has taught and carried out research on multi-dimensional aspects of poverty, human development, and ICT for development at theLondon School of Economics, the Universidad Católica Boliviana, Bolivia and the Universidad los Andes, Colombia.

He holds a Ph.D in Development Studies from the London School of Economics, a M.S. in Economics from the Munich Graduate School of Economics, and a M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University. His main research field is the impact of ICTs on enhancing the well-being of poor communities and their potential for enhancing the governance and transparency of governments and international donors.

Companies

• Head of Data Economy and Blockchain programs Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (2021)
• Visiting Professor for Political Economy Georgetown University (2007)
• Senior Digital Innovation Officer European Commission (2018 — 2021)
• Senior Innovation and Digital Economy Advisory European Investment Bank (EIB) (2016 — 2018)
• Senior Governance Specialist World Bank- Innovation Practice (2010 — 2016)
• Visiting Professor for Political Economy Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business (2010 — 2014)
• Senior Economist The World Bank (2006 — 2010)
• Adjunct Faculty Elliott School of International Affairs- George Washington University- (2009 — 2009)
• ICT Policy Specialist The World Bank (2000 — 2006)

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) London School of Economics and Political Science
• MA in International Affairs Elliott School of International Affairs- George Washington University (1996 — 1998)
• MS in International Economics Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München (1994 — 1996)
• International Scholarship Oberlin College (1991 — 1992)