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Andr¨¦s Rodr¨ªguez-Pose is the Princesa de Asturias Chair and a Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics. He is the Director of the Ca?ada Blanch Centre LSE and was Head of the Department of Geography and Environment. He chairs the High-Level Group on the future of Cohesion policy that is tasked with proposing the new Cohesion Policy for the European Union (EU) post 2027.

He has been President of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) and served as its Vice-President. He was also Vice-President and Secretary of the European Regional Science Association. He has a long track record of research in regional growth and inequality, fiscal and political decentralization, institutions, discontent and populism, innovation, migration, and development policies and strategies. This research has been frequently used by policy- and decision-makers, acting regularly as advisor to international organizations and governments.

Somik Lall is Senior Adviser to the Chief Economist of the World Bank Group. He has recently directed the World Bank's 2024 World Development Report on the ¡°Middle Income Trap¡± that examines how middle-income countries can break into the ranks of the wealthiest economies. Previously, he headed the climate economics and policy team in the World Bank¡¯s Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions vice presidency. His other roles include being the Global Lead for territorial development and Lead Economist for the World Bank¡¯s Cities Practice where he developed a novel data-driven approach to help city mayors rapidly respond to protect their citizens from the ravages of COVID 19. Lall is widely published in academic and policy journals. He also teaches at Johns Hopkins University and has been a Visiting Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy in New Delhi.

Ivailo Izvorski is the Chief Economist for the Europe and Central Asia region. He assumed this position on December 1, 2022. Since joining the World Bank in 2005 as a Senior Country Economist for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management sector Unit, he has held various positions ¡ª including Lead Economist and Practice Manager in Europe and Central Asia, and his most recent assignment as Practice Manager for the Global Macro, Growth and Debt unit in the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) Global Practice. Ivailo is one of the coauthors of Diversified Development: Making the Most of Natural Resources in Eurasia. He has worked on countries in Europe, Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, and Africa at the World Bank, the Institute of International Finance, and the IMF. Ivailo holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University.