Dr. Mansur started his career as a Lecturer, Department of Economics, Dhaka University in 1976. He left for Canada for higher studies in economics in the same year. As a graduate student and research assistant, he was also offering regular economics courses at the undergraduate level at the University of Western Ontario, Canada (1978-81). Dr. Mansur joined the International Monetary Fund under its Economist Program in 1981, and thereafter completed his PhD in Economics (on general equilibrium analysis) from the University of Western Ontario in 1982.
During his long career at the IMF, Dr. Mansur has worked on Middle Eastern, Asian, African and Central American countries. He worked in important functional departments (Fiscal Affairs and Policy Review and Development departments) and area departments (Middle East and Central Asia and Asian departments) of the IMF. He also served as the IMF Senior Resident Representative to Pakistan during 1998-01 and as the Fiscal Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Government of Bangladesh (1989-91). During his assignment in Bangladesh, Mr. Mansur was primarily involved with the successful introduction of Value Added Tax in Bangladesh in 1991. Most recently, he served as the Division Chief of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Division and was the IMF Mission Chief for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman. After taking early retirement from the IMF, with a view to establishing an institute aimed at policy analysis, in coordination with other professionals, Dr. Mansur joined the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh as its founder Director and Executive Director.
Dr. Mansur has published extensively in various prestigious journals (including Econometrica, Journal of Economic Theory, and IMF Staff Papers), edited books on special economic topics and in the IMF Occasional Paper and Working Paper series. His most recently edited book (with Fernando Delgado) is Stock Market Developments in the Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, published by Palgrave Macmillan in its Finance and Capital Markets Series, November 2008.
Curriculum Vita
Ahsan H. Mansur
Education :
Ph.D. (University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, 1982);
M.A. (McMaster University, Canada, 1977);
B.A. Economics (Hons. First class with distinction in Math), University of Dhaka,
Bangladesh, 1974.
Academic Awards :
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship in International Economics, awarded through an open world-wide competition, 1979–81; Special University Scholarship, University of Western Ontario, 1977–81; Graduate Students Award, University of Western Ontario, 1977–81; McMaster University Graduate Scholarship, 1976–77; First Grade Merit Scholarship, University of Dhaka, 1970–75.
Work Experience
Current: Executive Directo,
Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh, Banani, Dhaka
1994-2007 As a Senior IMF Staff , led missions to:
• Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Department 2004-07 Article IV consultation missions and staff visits;
• Kuwait 2004-07 Article IV consultation missions and staff visits
• Jordan (completed the final review under the extended fund facility (EFF); negotiations of a new stand by arrangement (SBA); concluded discussions on the reviews under the SBA and Article IV consultations), 2002–04;
• Sudan (completion of reviews under a staff-monitored program and discussions on a new three-year Staff Monitored Program), 1997–98;
• Oman (Article IV consultations (1996-98) and staff visits);
• Yemen (staff visit in the context of ESAF discussions), 1996;
• Afghanistan (staff visit held in Islamabad ), 1994.
1998-2001 SENIOR RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN PAKISTAN :
Assumed the position soon after the nuclear test by Pakistan, the imposition of economic sanctions against Pakistan, and the resulting economic crisis. Maintained effective relations and policy dialogue with the authorities, contributing substantively to a positive turnout in policy implementation and to the authorities’ success in establishing a solid track record under the program.
1996-2007 MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Division Chief, Gulf Cooperation Council Division, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF, 2004-07.
• Advisor, Middle East Department, Immediate Office, August 2001–04.
• Division Chief, Division D, MED ( Sudan , Djibouti , Mauritania , Somalia ), 1997–98.
• Deputy Division Chief, Division B, MED (Jordan, West Bank and Gaza , and the UAE), 1993–96.
• Deputy Division Chief, Division C, MED ( Yemen , Egypt , and Syria ),1996–97.
1989-91 FISCAL ADVISORS TO THE MINISTER OF FINANCE, BANGLADESH:
• Involved in the introduction of VAT in Bangladesh: implemented at record pace of 15 months form conception to implementation; the VAT became the number one revenue source by the second year. This was the most important tax reform effort in many decades and made irreversible changes.
• Assisted the authorities in: discussions with the IMF, leading to an ESAF arrangement with the IMF; designing banking sector reform; and strengthening institutional capacity at the Ministry of Finance.
1991–95 SENIOR ECONOMIST:
• Policy Development and Review Department (PDR) : served in Stand-by Operations Division and Capital Markets Divisions. Primarily involved in review of Fund-supported programs; mission work on Jordan as the PDR economist; and contributed to a Board paper on capital market developments in the emerging market economies.
• Middle Eastern Department : Principal desk economist for Jordan ; led advanced teams; and contributed to West Bank and Gaza operations.
1983-89 ECONOMIST Fiscal Affairs Department:
• Participated in use of Fund resources and Article IV consultation missions to Bangladesh, Nigeria, Somalia, the Gambia, Belize, and Sudan.
• Mission to the Philippines with the World Bank missions to formulate a Medium-Term Economic Recovery Program, 1986.
• Coordinated and developed departmental work on “Fiscal Developments in Major Industrial Countries,” for both rounds (summer and winter) of the World Economic Outlook (WEO) exercise during 1985–88. Prepared notes on “Public Debt in Major Industrial Countries: Medium-Term Outlook and Implications for Short-term Fiscal Policy.”
1981–83 eCONOMIST PROGRAM of the IMF:
Served as an EP in Exchange Trade Relations and Asian Departments.
Research Papers “General Equilibrium in Multijurisdictional Models with Income
As a graduate student: Interdependence,” (with Prof. J. Whalley), Journal of Economic Theory , Vol. 26 (February 1982).
“A Decomposition Algorith for General Equilibrium Computation with Application to International Trade Models,” (with Prof. John Whalley), Econometrica , Vol. 50, No. 6 (November 1982).
“Numerical Specification of Applied General Equilibrium Models: Estimation, Calibration, and Data,” (with Prof. John Whalley) in Applied General Equilibrium Analysis , eds. Herbert Scarf and John Shoven, Cambridge University Press (1984).
“On the Estimation of Import and Export Demand Elasticities and Elasticity Pessimism,” Working Paper No. 8207C, Centre for the Study of International Economic Relations, University of Western Ontario , Canada (March 1982). [The paper was cited in surveys of CGE models and in other articles by various authors, although the paper was never submitted to any journal for publication].
Publications
As a Fund staff:
“Determining the Appropriate Levels of Exchange Rates for Developing Economies: Some Methods and Issues,” Staff Papers , International Monetary Fund (December 1983).
“Determining the Appropriate Exchange Rate in LDCs,” Finance and Development (December 1984).
“Determination of Effective Exchange Rate Levels: A Critical Review of the Methods Employed in Some Fund Studies,” based on seven independent exchange rate studies conducted by the Fund staff during the late 1970s and early 1980s (December 1981).
“Evaluating the Effects of Fiscal Policy Changes on the Current Account Balance: The Case of the Philippines,” International Monetary Fund, in Fiscal Policy, Stabilization, and Growth in Developing Countries , edited by Mario Blejer and Keyong Chu, International Monetary Fund (1989).
“A Review of the Fiscal Impulse Measure,” (with P. Heller and R. Haas), Occasional Paper , No. 44, International Monetary Fund (May 1986).
Contributed to the preparation of “Aging and Social Expenditures in Major Industrial Countries, 1980–2025,” Occasional Paper , No. 47, International Monetary Fund, 1986.
“ United Kingdom : Developments in Public Social Expenditure, 1980–2025,” Fiscal Affairs Department, Working Paper No. FAD/87/04 (1987).
“Fiscal-Monetary Mix and Exchange Rate Movements in the Major Industrial Countries,” Journal of Economic Integration , (1989).
“Divergence in Policy Mixes and Appreciation of the Dollar: A Partial Equilibrium Asset Market Approach,” mimeo, 1988.
“Transmission of the Impact of Fiscal Deficit from Industrial to the Developing Countries” (with D. Robinson), in Fiscal Policy, Stabilization, and Growth in Developing Countries , eds. Mario Blejar and Ke-Yong Chu, International Monetary Fund, 1989.
“Public Debt in Major Industrial Countries: Medium-term Outlook and Implications for Short-term Fiscal Policy,” a supplementary note for the World Economic Outlook Report , [1988].
“Revenue Effects of the VAT System in Bangladesh : A Computable General Equilibrium Approach,” (with Khandker), Bangladesh Development Studies, 1992.
“Equity Aspects of the VAT System in Bangladesh ,” (with Khandker), Bangladesh Studies, 1994.
“ Jordan : Strategy for Adjustment and Growth,” edited with Maciejewski, Occasional Paper , No. 136, International Monetary Fund (1996).
“Oman Beyond the Oil Horizon: Policies Toward Sustainable Growth,” edited with Volker Treichel, Occasional Paper , No. 185, International Monetary Fund (1999).
“Fiscal Policy and Structural Transformation of the Jordanian Fiscal Structure”, with Catriona Purfield; Presented in an international conference in Jordan , Summer 2003 and published in the conference volume.
“Stabilization and Structural Transformation of the Jordanian Economy”, with Joannes Mongardini; presented in an international conference in Jordan , Summer 2003 and published as part of the conference volume.
Recent Stock Market Developments in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries , a book jointly edited with Fernando Delgado, in press and to be released by October 2008 by Palgrave and McMillan.
Impact of Global Economic Crisis on the Economy of Bangladesh and Policy Options, a background study prepared for the Asian development Bank (ADB) for supporting the Government of Bangladesh under the ADB’s newly established Counter Cyclical Facility and Budget Support Program, August 2009.
