Ritva Reinikka appointed as Professor of Practice at Helsinki GSE

Dr. Ritva Reinikka’s long career in development includes the World Bank, where she worked for 20 years, combining research and operations. In her most recent assignment as Sector Director, she was responsible for the World Bank’s human development work program in education, health and social protection in the Africa region. She was also Co-Director of the 2004 World Development Report “Making Services Work for Poor People.”

She completed her doctorate in economics at the University of Oxford. Most of her academic publications and policy reports are in the field of development economics. Her research has been published in the top general interest journals in economics as well as in the leading field journals. In 2014, Dr. Reinikka was awarded the annual prize of the Finnish Cultural Foundation (Suomen Kulttuurirahaston palkinto 2014).

“Ritva’s experience from the world of economic policy making and research in development economics makes her extremely well-placed to serve at Aalto University”, says professor Jukka Pirttilä from Helsinki Graduate School of Economics.

“Ritva is an internationally recognised and acknowledged development economist. I am very happy, on behalf of Aalto and the entire Helsinki GSE, that we will have her expertise to boost teaching and research in this important field,” says Professor Juuso Välimäki, head of the Department of Economics at Aalto University.

“I am delighted to join my alma mater, now Aalto University, and the new Helsinki Graduate School of Economics, and look forward to engaging with students during courses and on their research, as well as the development community at large in Finland”, commented Dr. Reinikka on her appointment.

Stronger focus on development economics and policy promotes the achievement of Finland's development policy objectives. The professorship is jointly funded with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 

The mission of the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics, established in the spring of 2018, is to expand the scope and improve the quality of education and research in economics in Finland, as well as to promote cooperation between economics and other fields of science. The Helsinki Graduate School of Economics is a unit jointly managed by Aalto University, the University of Helsinki and the Hanken School of Economics.

More information:

Otto Toivanen
[email protected]
+358 50 353 7651

Ritva Reinikka
[email protected]
WhatsApp +358 40 5559160