Dr. Zdenek Drabek (*1 August 1945) is an academic and policy oriented economist with a long career as a university teacher with a long experience in institutions of global financial and trade governance (World Bank, IMF and WTO). Following his early years in the former Czechoslovakia, he spent the rest of his life in the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland and Czech Republic. He is a co-author of several books and author of many articles on trade, industrial and financial policies published in leading journals and in newspapers, and a contributor to many World Bank, WTO and IMF reports. (List of publications available under “Research”).
He currently divides his time between Switzerland and Czech Republic and is multilingual (Czech, English, Russian, German and French with passive knowledge of Croatian, Spanish and Polish).
RECENT EMPLOYMENT RECORD
Dr. Drabek is currently affiliated as Senior Research Fellow at CERGE – EI of the Academy of Sciences and Charles University. He is also a member of Scientific Council of Faculty of Social Sciences, a member of Academic Advisory Council of the Institute of Economic Studies, a supervisor of doctoral students at the Institute of Economic Studies and a member of Grant Agency of Czech Republic.
He continues to provide expert advice as an independent Expert, providing advisory services to governments, supranational bodies and private sector ( trade and investment policies and sovereign risk). Clients included supranational bodies in Africa (African Union, COMESA, SADC, EAU, SACU); in Asia (ASEAN, East Asia Securities Institute) and governments in Africa, Central Asia and South East Asia. During a period of 1995-2007 he served as Senior Adviser, Research Department of the World Trade Organization, Geneva and as the representative of the WTO he was a co-founder and Chairman of the Management Board of the Joint Vienna Institute – JVI (training institute of the World Bank, IMF, BIS, OECD, EBRD and WTO).
In 1990-1994 he served as a senior government official in the rank of minister, in Federal Ministry of Economy, the Government of Czechoslovakia and Principal Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank (“Czech National Bank”). He was Chief Government Negotiator of the accession to the EU, in the Uruguay Round of GATT, CEFTA, bilateral negotiations with the World Bank and the IMF. He was also the founder of the Czechoslovak investment promotion agency CzechInvest ( formerly Federal Agency for Foreign Investment).
During the period of 1983-89 he was working as economist at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Responsible for economic work on Southern African countries which served as a key in the determination of the Bank lending strategy. Following this regional assignment dr. Drabek moved to cover similar task with regard to the Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, Algeria and Romania. The work was primarily focused on the assessment of sovereign risk, the design of structural policies, and external debt management.
PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT
Prior to his World Bank, Czech government and the WTO assignments he pursued an academic career in the UK. He was working in Department of Economics, University of Buckingham, U.K., which he ran as Chairman of Department (1976-1978). He spent his sabbatical year as Visiting Professor, Department of Economics at the University of British Columbia, (1979-1980). During 1974-76 he was Research Officer at the Institute of Economics and Statistics at Oxford University, and Tutor in Economics at Linacre College, Oxford University. In 1972-74he was Research Officer, St. Antony’s College, Oxford University. Served as a member of a large international team with work on Economic History of Central and Eastern Europe (published by Oxford University Press. Dr. Drabek’s contribution was a study of trade flows in the region as well as the countries’ trade policies and the compilation a detailed trade matrix. He started his professional carreer as Economist, Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations, (1971-72) and Consultant, Commodities Division, UNCTAD, Geneva (1973) and as Associate Research Officer, Research Institute of International Economics, Prague (1968-69.
ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT AND FUNCTIONS
- Co-founder of Department of Economics at the newly established University of Buckingham (1976-1978). Designing curriculum, hiring new staff, managing staff, representing the department at meeting of the University Council;
- Co-manager of the academic programs at the WTO towards PhD and MSc programs on WTO disciplines and economics of protection at universities in Asia, Latin America, Europe and Africa (1998-2007);
- Co-founder of the Joint Vienna Institute in cooperation with the IMF, the World Bank, the Bank for International Settlement, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Organization for Economic Cooperation and the Austrian Government to train economic policy makers in emerging markets; Dr. Drabek acted as the chairman of the board of management in 2002;
- External evaluator. Served as expert to evaluate research and policy-oriented projects e.g. under the Dutch aid program, African Economic Research Associates in Nairobi (Kenya), for institutions under the Academy of Sciences in Prague. Member of Research Grant Committee – GACR (Academy of Sciences, Prague) and reviewer both for GACR and GAUK;
- Member of the Academic Advisory Council of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University.
VISITING PROFESSORSHIPS AND INVITED LECTURER
- Professional associations. Invited as a conference or invited academic speaker by the American Economic Association, European Economic Association, the Association for Comparative Economic Systems (US), and other academic bodies;
- Visiting posts. Visiting professor at the University of British Columbia, IDEAS – a graduate institute in Tokyo, St. Petersburg University, and Visiting Fellow at University of Nottingham;
- US. and Canada. Invited lecturer at US universities such as Columbia University, universities of Indiana, Georgetown, Princeton, New York University, University of Washington (Seattle). Ottawa (Canada).
- UK. Invited speaker at British universities including Cambridge, London Business School, Birmingham, Sussex, Surrey, York, Warwick, Manchester, London School of Economics, Bath.
- Europe. In Europe lectured at Munich, Hamburg and Kiel universities, University of Zurich, Salamanca, Stockholm, Skopje, Sarajevo and others;
- Africa. An invited lecturer at universities of Cairo (Egypt), Kampala (Uganda), Winhoek (Namibia), Dar-es-Salam (Tanzania), Harare (Zimbabwe), and others;
GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING
Long academic career with teaching and research responsibilities both on graduate and undergraduate level in the fields of international economics and of globalization including trade theory and policy, balance of payments management, global financial and trade architecture; normative and positive theories of foreign investment; WTO rules and disciplines and WTO accession and economics of transition and comparative assessments of market reforms;
- Supervised graduate students and served as external examiner of doctoral and other graduate theses at universities in England (Sussex and Oxford), France (Grenoble), Czech Republic (Charles University) and Switzerland;
- Undergraduate lecturer in international economics, macroeconomics, economics of central planning and in econometrics; Graduate lecturer in international economics and in comparative economic systems (Universities of Oxford and Buckingham);
- Designed and helped implement specialized academic courses on WTO matters at universities of WTO Member States on behalf of the WTO (universities in Eurasia, South East Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe);
- Designed specialized courses on economics of transition to train senior government officials from transition countries at the Joint Vienna Institute ( together with professor Jaime de Mello of University of Geneva);
ACADEMIC REVIEWER
- Referee for most major economics journals and academic publishers including, inter alia, The MIT Press, Harvard University Press, Economic Journal, Journal of International Economics, Kyklos, Weltwirtschafliches Archiv, Journal of Comparative Economics, Comparative Economic Studies, World Development, Associate Editor of Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Journal of International Trade and Economic Development and others;.
PROFESSIONAL AND EDITORIAL BOARDS AND RESEARCH COUNCILS
- Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Comparative Economic Systems (ACES) (USA);.
- Member of Editorial Boards in professional and academic journals- Journal of Comparative Economics(USA), Journal of International Trade and Diplomacy, Prague Economic Papers, Czechoslovak Economic Digest, Czech Foreign Trade, For You, Obchod a Kontakt, Politická Ekonomie. Associate Editor of Emerging Markets Finance and Trade. Associate Editor of Emerging Markets Finance and Trade.
- Reviewer, Grant Agency of Charles University, Prague and Czech Science Foundation of Czech Republic;
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Comparative Economic Systems (ACES) (USA);
- Member of American Economic Association, Association of Comparative Economic Systems, National Association of Soviet and East European Studies (UK, Czech Economic Association; European Economic Association;
THINK TANKS
- Member of FONDAD (Forum on Debt and Development) – an independent policy research center and a forum to debate and formulate proposals for reforms of global economic and financial governance (management of capital flows, reforms of the IMF and the World Bank), – with participation of top international experts, established in the Netherlands.
- Member of International Advisory Council of the European Institute in Washington, DC (1999-2007);
- Co-founder of the Central European Forum ( together with former French prime minister Raymond Barre and Polish Foreign Minister B. Geremek) serving as a platform for ministers of foreign affairs and finance from Central and Eastern Europe during the accession process to the EU;
- Policy Associate, Leverhulme Centre for Research Globalization and Economic Policy (U.K.)
EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS.
- Leader of a 3-year research project to study the impact of foreign investment disputes. The project is by the Czech Government Research Grant Agency ( starting in 2018);
- Leader or co-leader of 3 research long-term projects funded under the “ACE Program” by the European Commission in Brussels and under the SSRC Program of the British Government;
- Leader of a research project on small and medium – size enterprises in South East Asia; funded by the World Bank Research Committee;
- Co-leader of project on harmonization of foreign investment regulations ( supported by Columbia University and European Institute in Florence);
- Guest Editor of papers on globalization and regionalization in transition economies for Journal of Emerging Markets Finance and Trade ( US academic journal);
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC TASK FORCES
(More details provided in section 6)
- ·Member of US Task Force on Czechoslovakia (US Congressman Doug Bereuter – Chairman), under the Atlantic Council of the USA .
- Member of the US-Czechoslovak Round Table, 1989 and 1990, under the official Czech – US agreement;
- Member of the International Task Force on Viet Nam, 1994;
- Member of Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Kiev, Ukraine, 1992 sponsored and organized by the US Congress.
- Member of International Task Force on “Managing Commodity Risks” 1997-2001; set up by International Coffee Organization, UNCTAD and the World Bank;
- Member of Independent Commission for the Reform of Institutions of the European Union”, 1995-6; Official activity of the European Commission in Brussels;
- Member of International Task Force on “Globalization and Poverty Elimination“, UN – funded activity managed by University of Manchester (UK);
- Blue Ribbon Commission on Macedonia, 2006, United Nations;
·
PUBLIC SPEAKING AND MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS (a selection)
- Invited speaker at World Economic Forum (Prague), Asian Securities Institute (Bali), Deutsche Bank (Frankfurt), Confederation of British Industry (London), Caisse des Dépots (Paris), Aspen Institutes (Italy and France), BMW Foundation, Confederation of Finish Industry (Helsinki), Swedish Foreign Office and Stockholm Business School (Stockholm), Euromoney, International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Dräger Foundation and others.
- Economic commentator for British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe, Czech public television and radio, and a regular commentator for Radio Metropolis 1993-94 (Prague).
MEMBERSHIP ON CORPORATE MANAGEMENT BOARDS
Corporate Directorships. Dr. Drabek has served on the boards of directors or supervisory boards of a number of publicly listed and privately held corporations, investment funds, and foundations.
- Member of Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan;
- Member of the management boards of Film Studio AB Barandov (Prague) and Kreditni Banka (Credit Bank), Plzen (Pilsen). Chairman of supervisory boards of Holiday Inn (Prague), EPIC Praha (Investment Banking Group), and member of supervisory boards of PATRIA Finance, Prague (investment banking group), and Holiday Inn Prague.
- Member of advisory board of “Inventa”, a private consulting firm. International Advisory Board of the Czechoslovak Management Centre (in Celákovice), and of the Society for Strategic Management Innovations and the Entrepreneurship;.
OTHER ADVISORY ACTIVITIES
- Advised US Senator Edward Kennedy. Economic advisor to governments of Czechoslovakia, Italy and Viet Nam, to international organizations (OECD, the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations, UNCTAD, the World Institute for Development Economic Research (United Nations), the World Bank.
- Economic and financial consultant for the corporate sector including major companies such as Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates, Barandov Studios, Chase Manhattan Bank, Stanford Research Institute, Shell, Tele Denmark and others;
- Member of the Advisory Council to the Governor of the Central Bank (Czech National Bank), Prague.
PUBLIC FUNCTIONS AND VOLUNTARY WORK
( More details provided in section 7)
- Civic organizations. Member of the Executive Committee of the Charter Seventy Seven Foundation, New York, of the Board of Directors of the Civic Forum Foundation,
- Historical preservation. Advisory Board for the Preservation of Historical Sites in Czechoslovakia under the auspices of the World Monument Fund and Prince Charles Foundation (Prague Heritage Fund). Member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the establishment of the Institute of Architects with specialization in historical preservation. President of the Foundation for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Southern -Moravia (Czech Republic).
PUBLIC AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
- Michael Montias Prize; Awarded in 2015 Michael Montias Prize ( together with J. Brada and J. Perez) for the best article in Journal of Comparative Economics during 2012-2014;
- Quotations; The most frequently quoted Czech economist during 1990’s (AER reviews)
- Honorary Doctor of Law (Schiller International University and American College of Switzerland). Honorary Professor at Shanghai Institute for Foreign Trade (China).
- Dr. Drabek’s activities as scholar and public policy expert have been supported by Ford Foundation, Pew Charitable Trust, Mellon Foundation, German Marshall Fund, Stanford Research Institute, the British Know-How Fund and the Charter 77 Foundation.
- Carnegie Fellow in 1970.
- Listed in “Who’s Who in Finance” (BARONS, USA), and in “International Who is Who of Professionals”. Award a “Highest Quality Rating” by ANBAR Electronic Intelligence in Citation of Excellence; Selected as the most quoted Czech economist during 1990s;
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
D.Phil. (Economics), Wolfson College, Oxford University (U.K.), 1979, B.A., M.A. (Economics), Christ’s College, Cambridge University (U.K.), 1971, Dipl. Ing., Prague School of Economics (Czech Republic), 1969