Eric Livny
Европейский банк реконструкции и развития
Lead Economist Central Asia
A development economist and educator with over 25 years of experience of working at the interface of economics education, policy research and consulting, Eric joined the EBRD in September 2019. In his current role with the Bank, he covers economic developments in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, advising senior management on the Bank’s country strategies, liaising with governments and international financial institutions, leading the industrial policy stream within the Bank’s Community of Practice on Competition Policy.
Throughout his career, Eric was involved in the creation and management of several world-class education start-ups in the former USSR, including the New Economic School (NES) in Moscow, the EERC/Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), and the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET). Serving as ISET’s founding director and president in 2007-2018, he established it as a recognized regional leader in economics education. In 2011, he created the ISET Policy Institute, expanding ISET’s product mix beyond economics education to executive training, policy consulting and public communication activities.
Having lived in Georgia in 2007-2019, Eric conducted policy research and consulted the Georgian government, international organizations, business associations and educational institutions, advocating for people-centred, inclusive development. His policy work covered a very wide range of issues from education and labour market reforms to (new) industrial policy, rural development and agricultural policies, quality of the business environment and national competitiveness. In 2015-2017, he advised Georgia’s ministers of Economic and Sustainable Development Dimitri Kumsishvili and Giorgi Gakharia.