What separates economies that break through from those that get stuck?
The Growth Academy brings leading economists and senior policymakers into the same room to tackle that question—using frontier research, real-world data, and the hard-earned experience of countries confronting the middle-income trap. More than a training program, it is a global laboratory for turning big ideas about innovation, productivity, business dynamism, and institutional reform into practical strategies for lasting growth.
A joint initiative of the University of Chicago and the World Bank, the Academy is not a conventional training program. It is a global laboratory where frontier research meets the challenging reality of policymaking. Participants work with scholars and practitioners to diagnose the forces holding back productivity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and business dynamism, and to translate those insights into practical strategies tailored to their own economies.
Through intensive programs, country partnerships, policy labs, and an expanding international network, the Growth Academy creates a space for candid debate, collaborative problem-solving, and ideas that continue well beyond the classroom. The ambition is simple but bold: to help countries move beyond temporary growth spurts and build economies in which productive firms can flourish, talented people can pursue their best ideas, and prosperity can endure.
