Yan Liu

Senior Economist · World Bank Group

Researching the economic impacts of AI and digital transformation on labor markets, productivity, and development.

Publications Experience Contact Google Scholar GitHub

About

I am a Senior Economist at the World Bank Group, working in the Digital Transformation & AI Vertical. My research focuses on the economic impacts of artificial intelligence and digital transformation on labor markets, productivity, and development outcomes.

I am a core author of the World Development Report 2026: Harnessing AI for Development. I have led and co-authored multiple flagship reports, including the Digital Progress and Trends Report series, which has been downloaded over 220,000 times collectively.

I hold a Ph.D. in Applied Microeconomics from Peking University and was a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University. My research has been published in journals including World Development, Canadian Journal of Economics, and The World Economy.

Current Focus

AI & Digital Transformation, Labor Markets, Development Economics

Education

Ph.D., Peking University · Visiting Fellow, Harvard University

Languages

Chinese (Native) · English (Fluent)

Technical Skills

Stata, MATLAB, Python · Chinese CPA

Work Experience

World Bank Group Washington DC, US
Senior Economist, Digital Transformation & AI Vertical
January 2025 – Present
  • Core author of the World Bank Group's corporate flagship World Development Report 2026: Harnessing AI for Development.
  • Led the second edition of the global flagship Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025: Strengthening AI Foundations, downloaded 60,000+ times within two months.
  • Published 3 research papers on labor market impacts of digital transformation and AI.
  • Provided analytics and policy advisory to India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Central Asia on digital jobs and digital skills.
Senior Economist, Analytics and Research Unit
November 2023 – December 2024
  • Supervised the Analytics and Research unit (~8–10 economists and data scientists), formulated team strategy and research directions.
  • Published two Policy Research Working Papers with 15,000+ combined downloads. Invited speaker at the 2025 Infra4Development conference and the CEPR conference on Generative AI.
Economist, Digital Development Global Practice
July 2022 – October 2023
  • Led a cross-GP team and coauthored the inaugural Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023, downloaded 160,000+ times.
  • Created the ICT Sector Dataset covering 130+ countries from 2000 to present.
  • Core team member for the Digital Transformation Database web portal.
Economist, Investment Climate Unit
September 2018 – July 2022
  • Led a team of seven and coauthored An Investment Perspective on Global Value Chains, downloaded 10,000+ times and cited in the 2025 Economic Report of the President.
  • Provided technical support and policy advisory to projects across Western Balkans, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and more.
Asian Development Bank Beijing, China
Consultant, Economics Unit
October 2017 – March 2018
  • Collected and updated China's high-frequency economic indicators, conducted macroeconomic analysis, and drafted economic development reports.
International Monetary Fund Beijing, China
Research Economist, Resident Representative Office of China
June 2015 – September 2016
  • Maintained China's macro economy database, prepared analysis on high-frequency data, and wrote monthly economic updates.
  • Conducted empirical research on SME financing obstacles. Presented findings at People's Bank of China, CBRC, and IMF seminars.

Education

2013–2018

Peking University

Ph.D. in Applied Microeconomics
Guanghua School of Management · Average Grade: 93/100
President Scholarship, Excellent Academic Performance Award
2017

Harvard University

Visiting Fellow
J.F. Kennedy School · Supervised by Prof. Robert Z. Lawrence
Research on labor income share, industry concentration, and structural transformation
2009–2013

Peking University

B.A. in Economics
Guanghua School of Management · Core GPA: 3.75/4
Leo KoGuan Scholarship, Excellent Academic Performance Award

Publications

Journal Articles & Working Papers

Books & Book Chapters

Policy Papers & Reports

Contact

Work Email
yanliu@worldbank.org
Personal Email
liustonepku@gmail.com
Phone
+1 (202) 352-8934
Location
Washington, D.C.
Google Scholar
Yan Liu
GitHub
liuyanstone