Philippe Legrain is the founder of Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), an international think-tank, a senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics’ European Institute, and a columnist for Project Syndicate and other international media outlets.

From 2011 to 2014, he was an economic adviser and the head of the team providing strategic policy advice to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. Previously, he was special adviser to World Trade Organisation Director-General Mike Moore and trade and economist correspondent for The Economist.

His four books include Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them, which was shortlisted for the 2007 Financial Times Business Book of the Year, and European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics are in a Mess – and How to Put Them Right, which was among the FT’s Best Books of 2014.

His studies for OPEN and the Tent Foundation include Refugees Work: A humanitarian investment that yields economic dividends (2016) and Step Up: How to refugees into work quickly (2017).

Featuring this expert

Reawakening

From the Origins of Economic Ideas to the Challenges of Our Time

Event Plenary | Oct 21–23, 2017

INET gathered hundreds of new economic thinkers in Edinburgh to discuss the past, present, and future of the economics profession.