John S. Wilson (economist)

Wilson was born in Lakewood, Ohio and graduated from The College of Wooster in 1978 where he was a seven time All American (NCAA Division III) in swimming. He graduated from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in New York in 1984 with a master's degree in International Affairs (MIA).

John S. Wilson joined the World Bank Group in 1999 and directed empirical and policy research on trade facilitation, aid effectiveness, and regulatory reform issues, as they relate to economic development. Wilson also provides expertise in bank operations and spent two years in the Bank's Infrastructure Vice Presidency. He participated in bank projects under preparation and completed totaling over $1.3 billion. Wilson also provided leadership for the bank in the establishment of the inter-agency Standards and Trade Development Facility. He also developed the initial concept for the bank's Trade Facilitation Facility in 2009 and is a member of the facility's program committee. Wilson is currently working with the Trade Department in the establishment of a new public-private partnership on “Aid for Trade Facilitation” for the Bank. Details can be found at https://web.archive.org/web/20081006185119/http://econ.worldbank.org/projects/trade_costs

Prior to joining the World Bank, Wilson was vice president for technology policy at the Information Technology Industry Council in Washington, D.C., from 1995 to 1999. At ITI Wilson was a corporate officer and member of the senior management team. He had management responsibility and budget responsibility for regulatory affairs standards, and technical trade barriers. During this period he was on the U.S. Steering Committee for the Transatlantic Business Dialogue and involved in preparations for extension of the Information Technology Agreement of the WTO to non-tariff barriers to trade related to standards and regulation.

Wilson has also been a visiting fellow at the Institute for International Economics. He served as a senior staff officer at the U.S. National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and National Research Council. While at the academies, he provided leadership in establishing the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy and directed Management responsibilities include finance and supervision of professional staff. Duties included congressional, executive branch, private sector, and liaison with foreign governments. Directed several major policy studies, including; policy dialogues for the White House National Economic Council (NEC) on the economics of U.S. technology policy, the 1995 report Standards, Conformity Assessment, and Trade: Into the 21st Century at the request of the U.S. Congress, and the "Technology and Industrial Modernization of the Mexican Economy" project.

From 1989 to 1992, designed and directed the academies’ research project on civilian technology. Responsible for economic analysis and writing of final report, as well as financial, and staff management. The project, requested by the U.S. Congress in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, resulted in the book: The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance, published by the National Academy Press in 1992. The report provided detailed analysis and policy recommendations related to the economic returns to government investment in civilian R&D, industrial technology development and transfer.

Wilson was an adjunct professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service during 1993–94. He developed and taught a course on "International Technology and Corporate Strategy," Karl F. Landegger Program on International Business Diplomacy, Graduate School and also co-taught a course on “Technology Policy and Economic Competitiveness.”