Philippe Legrain is a critically acclaimed thinker with high-level international policy experience. 

 

A senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics’ European Institute, he is also the founder of Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), a think-tank that focuses on international political economy, and a columnist for Project Syndicate and other international media outlets.

 

From 2011 to 2014, Legrain was principal adviser and head of the analysis team at the Bureau of European Policy Advisers to the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. As such, he provided President Barroso with independent economic advice and led the team which provides him with strategic policy advice. 

 

Legrain has also been special adviser to World Trade Organisation director-general Mike Moore, trade and economics correspondent for The Economist, and chief economist and director of policy for the pro-European pressure group, Britain in Europe. 

 

Legrain has written four books – Open World: The Truth about Globalisation (2002), Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them (2007), Aftershock: Reshaping the World Economy After the Crisis (2010) and European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics are in a Mess – and How to Put Them Right (2014). Immigrants was shortlisted for the 2007 Financial Times Business Book of the Year award; European Spring was selected by Martin Wolf as among the FT’s Best Books of 2014.