Recent Research
Senior Fellow
Environmental economics, climate change, natural resource conservation, indicators of sustainable development and country performance, African infrastructure development, priority-setting for country aid allocation
Education: PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1974); BA, Princeton University (1968)
David Wheeler is a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, where he works on issues related to climate change, natural resource conservation, African infrastructure development, sustainable development indicators and the allocation of development aid. From 1993-2006, as a Lead Economist in the World Bank's Development Research Group, he directed a team that worked on environmental policy and research issues in collaboration with policymakers and academics in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Ghana and other developing countries. His team focused particularly on reducing pollution through public information disclosure, in collaboration with the environment ministries of China, Indonesia and the Philippines. He also worked on priority-setting for country lending, grants and technical assistance with the World Bank's Vice Presidency for Operations Policy and Country Services, the World Bank's Environment Department, and the Global Environment Facility. During his last two years at the Bank, he and his colleagues initiated a climate change program in the Development Research Group, as well as collaborating with the Bank's Africa Region on a cost-effective strategy for road network upgrading in Sub-Saharan Africa.
After completing his PhD in 1974, David taught economics for two years at the National University of Zaire in Kinshasa. He joined the economics faculty at Boston University in 1976, and taught there until he joined the World Bank in 1990. While on the BU faculty, he was a visiting professor in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning (1978-79), a co-founder and principal of the Boston Institute for Developing Economies (1987-1990), and Jakarta field director of the Development Studies Project for BAPPENAS, Indonesia's Planning Ministry (1987-1989).
New
Popular
Working Papers Books Other CGD Pubs Events Selected Works
-
In this short essay, senior fellow David Wheeler compares the world’s foreign assistance architecture to how the rest of the world operates in the digital age. He suggests that multilateral and bilateral transactions from one behemoth to another may be stuck in the past now that technology can...
-
After rejecting emissions caps, India seems poised to curb greenhouse gases on its own. Senior fellow David Wheeler calculates that a proposed new renewable energy standard would cause a massive shift of new power capacity within a decade.
-
The authors address several questions relevant to international discussion about climate adaptation: How will climate change alter the incidence of extreme weather events, and how will their impact be distributed geographically? How will future socioeconomic development, notably an increased...
-
In this paper, we introduce FORMA (Forest Monitoring for Action), a prototype system for monitoring real-time deforestation from publicly available satellite data at a resolution of one square kilometer. Maps of the data showing probable areas of deforestation will be available on Google Earth and...
-
As temperatures rise this century, massive tropical storm surges and growing populations may collide in disasters of unprecedented size. CGD senior fellow David Wheeler and co-authors explore the implications for 84 developing countries, providing new data for 577 cyclone-vulnerable coastal cities...
-
CGD senior fellow David Wheeler testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment about the potential effects of climate change on vulnerable societies. Wheeler urges Congress to view climate change preparedness broadly and focus U.S. assistance...
-
Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report, and a senior political analyst for CNN, David Gergen joined CGD president Nancy Birdsall, and CGD senior fellows who authored essays in our...
-
Senior fellow David Wheeler and Kevin Ummel argue for rapid, very large-scale deployment of existing solar thermal technology. Using maps of solar radiation and project finance calculations, they show that with modest subsidies solar power generated in North Africa and the Middle East could meet...
-
This video contains clips of the World Banks consultation on a new framework for addressing climate change.
-
The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President shows how modest changes in U.S. policies could greatly improve the lives of poor people in developing countries, thus fostering greater stability, security, and prosperity globally and at home. Center for Global...
-
Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report, and a senior political analyst for CNN, David Gergen joined CGD president Nancy Birdsall, and CGD senior fellows who authored essays in our...
-
The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President shows how modest changes in U.S. policies could greatly improve the lives of poor people in developing countries, thus fostering greater stability, security, and prosperity globally and at home. Center for Global...
-
In this short essay, senior fellow David Wheeler compares the world’s foreign assistance architecture to how the rest of the world operates in the digital age. He suggests that multilateral and bilateral transactions from one behemoth to another may be stuck in the past now that technology can...
-
The authors address several questions relevant to international discussion about climate adaptation: How will climate change alter the incidence of extreme weather events, and how will their impact be distributed geographically? How will future socioeconomic development, notably an increased...
-
Senior fellow David Wheeler and Kevin Ummel argue for rapid, very large-scale deployment of existing solar thermal technology. Using maps of solar radiation and project finance calculations, they show that with modest subsidies solar power generated in North Africa and the Middle East could meet...
-
As temperatures rise this century, massive tropical storm surges and growing populations may collide in disasters of unprecedented size. CGD senior fellow David Wheeler and co-authors explore the implications for 84 developing countries, providing new data for 577 cyclone-vulnerable coastal cities...
-
In November 2007 CGD’s Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) provided the first global database on CO2 emissions from the world’s 50,000 power plants and the firms that own them. CARMA was widely welcomed as a tool for public education and as an important first step toward reliable, consistent...
-
As a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, developed countries have an indisputable responsibility to address global warming. But the developing country argument that, as blameless victims of climate change they should be unfettered by emissions regulations, is wrong. In this working paper,...
-
After rejecting emissions caps, India seems poised to curb greenhouse gases on its own. Senior fellow David Wheeler calculates that a proposed new renewable energy standard would cause a massive shift of new power capacity within a decade.
-
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a revolutionary change in the world's energy mix. So why is the World Bank conducting business as usual? This new working paper by CGD senior fellow David Wheeler focuses on the bank's latest proposed venture, a huge coal-fired plant to be fueled by the...
-
Tailored Aid for a Tailored Age?
- Jun 24, 2010
In this short essay, senior fellow David Wheeler compares the world’s foreign assistance architecture to how the rest of the world operates in the digital age. He suggests that multilateral and bilateral transactions from one behemoth to another may be stuck in the past now that technology can...
-
Climate Change and Vulnerable Societies: Achieving Sustainable Security
- Jul 23, 2009
CGD senior fellow David Wheeler testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment about the potential effects of climate change on vulnerable societies. Wheeler urges Congress to view climate change preparedness broadly and focus U.S. assistance...
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
The Human Footprint on Climate
- Jun 23, 2009
As part of the "Demographics and Development in the 21st Century" series, CGD Senior Fellow David Wheeler will summarize the cross-country research he conducted with Dan Hammer on the economics of population policy for carbon emissions reduction. Wheeler includes assessments of the effects of...
-
CGD Special Discussion with David Gergen on Obama's Global Development Policy
- Jan 16, 2009
Join Nancy Birdsall, David Gergen, and CGD senior fellows who are authors of essays in our newest book, The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President , for a lively discussion of the prospects for improved U.S. development policy under President Barack...
-
Third Annual Richard H. Sabot Lecture
- Jun 26, 2008
The Center for Global Development is hosting its third annual Richard H. Sabot Lecture, in memory of Dick Sabot, a friend, co-author, and founding member of CGD's board of directors. We are honored to have Lord Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and...
-
-
Climate Change Post-Bali: Assessing the Prospects for Success
- Feb 4, 2008
In the wake of December's UN Climate Change Conference in Indonesia, our panel will consider the next stages of international climate negotiations, discuss current efforts in both the developed and developing world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and assess the prospects and potential for a...
-
Power and Roads to Africa: A Tanzanian Perspective
- Dec 14, 2007
President Kikwete will offer his perspective on infrastructure obstacles to growth in Tanzania, including how the donor community, private sector, and African governments can work together to find new and innovative ways to bring power and roads to Africa. The president’s remarks will be followed...
-
Non-CGD Publications
- Country Stakes in Climate Change Negotiations: Two Dimensions of Vulnerability. 2009. Climate Policy (forthcoming) (with Piet Buys, Uwe Deichmann, Craig Meisner and Tao Ton That).
- Sea-Level Rise and Storm Surges: A Comparative Analysis of Impacts in Developing Countries. 2009. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4901. April. (with Susmita Dasgupta, Benoit Laplante and Siobhan Murray).
- The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis," Climatic Change, 2009. Volume 93 (3), p. 379. (with Susmita Dasgupta, Benoit Laplante, Craig Meisner, and Jianping Yan)
- "Environmental Economics at the World Bank", 2008, Review of Environmental Economics and Policy (with Susmita Dasgupta, Kirk Hamilton and Stefano Pagiola)
- "Determinants of a digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa : a spatial econometric analysis of cell phone coverage", 2008, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. WPS 4516 (with Piet Buys, Susmita Dasgupta and Thomas Tim)
- "Improving indoor air quality for poor families : a controlled experiment in Bangladesh", 2007, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. WPS 4422 (with Susmita Dasgupta, Mainul Huq and M. Khaliquzzaman)
- "Country Stakes in Climate Change Negotiations: Two Dimensions of Vulnerability," 2007, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. WPS 4300 (with Uwe Deichmann, Piet Buys, Craig Meisner and Thao Ton That).
- "Road Network Upgrading and Overland Trade Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa," 2006, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4097 (with Uwe Deichmann and Piet Buys).
- "Environment During Growth: Accounting for Governance and Vulnerability," 2006, World Development, Vol. 34, No. 9, September (with Susmita Dasgupta, Kirk Hamilton, and Kiran D. Pandey).
- "The Economics of Decentralized Poverty-Environment Programs: An Application for Lao PDR," 2006, Journal of Policy Modeling, Vol. 28, No. 7, October (with Piet Buys, Susmita Dasgupta, Uwe Deichmann, Craig Meisner, et al.).
- "Informal Regulation of Industrial Pollution in Developing Countries: Evidence from Indonesia," 2006, in Thomas P. Lyon (ed.), Regulation, (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar) (with Sheoli Pargal).
- "Is Environmentally-Friendly Agriculture Less Profitable for Farmers? Evidence on Integrated Pest Management in Bangladesh," 2006, Review of Agricultural Economics (forthcoming, with Susmita Dasgupta and Craig Meisner).
- "Indoor Air pollution and Rural Energy Use," 2006, in Douglas Barnes, ed., Rural Energy Strategy for Bangladesh, Washington: World Bank (with Susmita Dasgupta).
- "Who Suffers from Indoor Air Pollution? Evidence from Bangladesh," 2006, Health Policy and Planning (forthcoming - with Susmita Dasgupta, Mainul Huq, M. Khaliquzzaman and Kiran Pandey).
- "Indoor Air Quality for Poor Families: New Evidence from Bangladesh," 2006, Indoor Air: International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health (forthcoming, with Susmita Dasgupta1, Mainul Huq, M. Khaliquzzaman and Kiran D. Pandey).
- "Pesticide Poisoning of Farm Workers: Implications of Blood Test Results from Vietnam," 2006, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health (forthcoming, with Susmita Dasgupta and Craig Meisner).
- "Disclosure Strategies for Pollution Control," 2005, in The International Yearbook of Environmental and Resource Economics 2005/2006: A Survey of Current Issues (New Horizons in Environmental Economics), Tom Tietenberg and Henk Folmer (eds.) (Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar) (with Susmita Dasgupta and Hua Wang).
- "Policy Reform, Economic Growth and the Digital Divide," 2005, Oxford Development Studies, Vol. 33, No. 2, June (with Susmita Dasgupta and Somik Lall).
- "Where is the Poverty-Environment Nexus? Evidence from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam," 2005, World Development Vol. 33, No. 4 (with Susmita Dasgupta, Uwe Deichmann and Craig Meisner).
- "Financial Incentives and Endogenous Enforcement in China's Pollution Levy System," 2005, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Vol. 49, No. 1 (with Hua Wang, et. al.).
- "How Has Environment Mattered? An Analysis of World Bank Resource Allocation," 2004, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3269 (with Susmita Dasgupta, Craig Meisner, Piet Buys, Kiran Pandey, Kirk Hamilton, Anjali Acharya, and Ede Jorge Ijjasz-Vasquez).
- "Environmental Performance Rating and Disclosure: China's GreenWatch Program," 2004, Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 71, No. 2 (with Hua Wang).
- "Can China Grow and Safeguard Its Environment? The Case of Industrial Pollution," 2003, in N. Hope (ed.), Policy Reform in China, (Stanford: Stanford University Press) (with Hua Wang and Susmita Dasgupta).
- "Measuring Up: New Directions for Environmental Programs at the World Bank," 2003, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3097 (with Kiran Pandey, Susmita Dasgupta, Kirk Hamilton, Limin Wang, Katharine Bolt, Piet Buys, Craig Meisner and Kiran Pandey).
- "Equilibrium Pollution and Economic Development in China", 2003, Environment and Development Economics, Vol. 8, No. 3 (with Hua Wang).
- "Air Pollution in Developing Countries: New Estimates for Fine Particulates," 2003, Environmental Health Perspectives (with Kiran Pandey, et. al.).
- "Agricultural Trade, Development and Toxic Risk," 2002, World Development, Vol. 30, No. 8, August (with Susmita Dasgupta, Yanhong Jun and Craig Meisner).
- "Beyond Pollution Havens," 2002, Global Environmental Politics, Vol. 2, No. 2, May.
- "Confronting the Environmental Kuznets Curve," 2002, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 16, No. 1, Winter (with Susmita Dasgupta, Benoit Laplante and Hua Wang).
- "Plant Size, Industrial Air Pollution and Local Incomes: Evidence from Brazil and Mexico," 2002, Environment and Development Economics, 7 (2) (forthcoming) (with Robert Lucas and Susmita Dasgupta).
- "Racing to the Bottom? Foreign Investment and Air Pollution in Developing Countries," 2001, Journal of Environment and Development, September.
- "Minute Particles, Major Problems: Cleaning the Air in Developing Countries," 2001, Forum For Applied Research and Public Policy, Vol. 16, No. 3, Fall (with Katherine Bolt, Susmita Dasgupta and Kiran Pandey).
- "Environmental Regulation and Development: A Cross-Country Empirical Analysis," 2001, Oxford Development Studies, Vol. 29, No. 2, June (with Susmita Dasgupta, Ashoka Mody and Subhendu Roy).
- "Water Pollution Abatement by Chinese Industry: Cost Estimates and Policy Implications," 2001, Applied Economics, Vol. 33, No. 4 (with Susmita Dasgupta, Mainul Huq and Chonghua Zhang).
- "The Microeconomic Analysis of Pollution, Pollution Abatement and Pollution Abatement Regulation," 2000, Pacific and Asian Journal of Energy, 10 (2), December (with Raymond Hartman).
- "Industrial Pollution in Economic Development: The Environmental Kuznets Curve Revisited," 2000, Journal of Development Economics, 62 (2) (with Muthukumara Mani and Hemamala Hettige).
- "What Improves Environmental Compliance? Evidence From Mexican Industry," 2000, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Vol. 39, No.1 (with Susmita Dasgupta and Mala Hettige).
- Greening Industry: New Roles for Communities, Markets and Governments (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).
|
|
Print
Share
