Growth Academy 2025

July 21, 2025
Chicago, USA

The Institute for Economic Development, the University of Chicago, and the World Bank hosted the Growth Academy 2025 in Chicago, USA. This five-day intensive workshop focused on the middle-income trap and the concepts of creative destruction for middle-income economies.

Participants gathered to broaden their understanding of economic policy, expand their professional network, and drive impact within their organization. Stay tuned for future opportunities to join the Growth Academy or its regional chapters!

The Growth Academy is an ever expanding program dedicated to fostering economic insight and innovation through dynamic learning experiences. Bringing together top scholars, industry leaders, and ambitious professionals, our one-week intensive summer program provides an immersive opportunity to deepen expertise, engage with cutting-edge research, and collaborate on transformative solutions for sustainable growth. Read more about the Growth Academy.

The workshop will feature international researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders on the topic of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Philippe Aghion
Professor
College de France: INSEAD.

Ufuk Akcigit
Arnold C. Harberger Professor in Economics and the College at The University of Chicago; Co-Director, Growth Academy

HE Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef
Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia

Susan Athey
The Economics of Technology Professor
Stanford University

Indermit Gill
Chief Economist of the World Bank Group; Senior Vice President for Development Economics; Development Economics
The World Bank

Penny Goldberg
William Nordhaus Professor of Economics and Global Affairs
Yale University

Lars Hansen
The David Rockefeller Distinguished Service Professor in Economics, Statistics and the Booth School of Business; Director of Macro Finance Research (MFR)
University of Chicago

Chaing-Tai Hsieh
Phyllis and Irwin Winkelried Distinguished Service Professor
University of Chicago

Michael Kremer
University Professor in Economics and the College and the Harris School of Public Policy; Director of the Development Innovation Lab; Faculty Director, Development Economics Center
University of Chicago

James Heckman
The Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College
The University of Chicago

Somik Lall
Senior Adviser to the Chief Economist of the World Bank Group; Director of the World Bank’s 2024 World Development Report
The World Bank

Josh Lerner
Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking
Harvard Business School

Joel Mokyr
Robert H. Strotz Professor
Northwestern University

Brent Neiman
Edward Eagle Brown Professor of Economics
University of Chicago

Fabrizio Zilibotti
Tuntex Professor of International and Development Economics
Yale University

Michael Greenstone
Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor of Economics
University of Chicago

James Evans
Max Palevsky Professor, Department of Sociology; Faculty Director, Masters in Computational Social Science Program
University of Chicago