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'Sir Nicholas Stern', FBA (born 22 April 1946) is a British economist and academic. He was the Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President of the World Bank from 2000 to 2003, and was recently a civil servant and government economic advisor in the United Kingdom. In June, 2007 Stern became the first holder of the IG Patel Chair at the London School of Economics and Political Science and head of the newly created India Observatory within the Asia Research Centre.
After attending Latymer Upper School, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics at Peterhouse, Cambridge, and his Doctor of Philosophy in economics at Nuffield College, Oxford. He was a lecturer at Cambridge University from 1970 to 1977, and served as a Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick from 1978 to 1987. He taught from 1986 to 1993 at the London School of Economics, becoming the Sir John Hicks Professor of Economics. From 1994 until 1999 he was the Chief Economist and Special Counsellor to the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. His research focused on economic development and growth, and he also wrote books on Kenya and the Green Revolution in India.
After his time working for the World Bank, Stern was recruited by Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, to work for the British government where, in 2003, he became second permanent secretary at H.M. Treasury, initially with responsibility for public finances, and head of the Government Economic Service. Having also been Director of Policy and Research for the Commission for Africa, he was, in July 2005, appointed to conduct reviews on the economics of climate change and also of development, which led to the publication of the Stern Review. He ceased to be a second permanent secretary at the Treasury though he retains the rank; the review team he heads is based in the Cabinet Office.
The Stern Review was released on 30 October 2006, and gained global media attention for Stern's conclusions. Stern describes climate change as an economic externality and therefore addressing this externality should allow market forces to develop low carbon technologies. The report concludes that mitigation, i.e. addressing the issue now is the best economic choice. He also highlights that the ethics of the issue can not be ignored or even separated.^[1][2]
In 2006, he was elected as an Honorary Fellow at Peterhouse, Cambridge.

Contents

Awards and recognition

References

External links

Awards and recognition

Stern was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1993;^[3] he is also an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2004 he was made a Knight Bachelor.^[4]
Stern was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Warwick in 2006.^[5] and an Honorary Doctor of International Relations (DIR) degree by the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations in 2007.

References

1. "Report's stark warning on climate" Robert Peston
2. "Climate change fight 'can't wait'" - video, executive summary and slide show.
3. The British Academy (2006). British Academy Fellows Archive. Retrieved October 31, 2006.
4. Press and Information Office - LSE (2006). News and Views: Volume Thirty-Four • Number Nine • 21 June 2004. Retrieved October 31, 2006.
5. University of Warwick (2006). University of Warwick Honorary Degrees announced for July 2006. Retrieved October 31, 2006.

External links

★ Stern at Oxford Uni

★ World Bank biography

★ The man behind the British Treasury’s mammoth climate change report

★ The UK Government's Treasury web pages about the Stern review

★ Article about the Stern review's conclusions on China's development

★ Nicholas Stern interview at The Beaver, 13 February 2007

★ Speech to the Economics of Climate Change Symposium, Nov 2006