Kenneth G. Ruffing

Dr. Kenneth G. Ruffing is Coordinator of the African Economic Outlook. He was formerly Deputy Director and Chief Economist of the OECD Environment Directorate from 2000 to 2005.

Prior to joining OECD he had a long career with the United Nations, beginning in 1971 while completing his Ph.D. dissertation at Columbia University. He has worked as a development economist for the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean; provided technical assistance in external debt management to developing countries for the UN Conference on Trade and Development; represented the UN at numerous debt rescheduling exercises carried out by the “Paris Club” of official creditors; was Secretary to the UN Committee for Development Policy for 10 years; prepared the UN macroeconomic forecasts for the world economy based on Project LINK from 1989 to 1993; and served as Deputy Director for the UN Division for Sustainable Development for 7 years.

During his long career with international organisations he has conducted research or undertaken scholarly reviews on a wide range of economic development issues: macroeconomics, external debt and finance; trade, aid and development; development planning and its integration with public sector budgeting; monetary and fiscal aspects of public policy in developing countries; economic reform processes and economic convergence; natural resource economics (oil, water)