Ross Levine, Willis H. Booth Chair in Banking and Finance at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, research associate at the NBER, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, his work straddles two interrelated themes: the role of innovation in improving living standards and the role of laws and regulations in facilitating—and impeding—innovation and economic growth. His two most recent books, Rethinking Bank Regulation: Till Angels Govern and Guardians of Finance: Making Regulators Work for Us, stress that regulatory policies often stymie competition, with deleterious effects on productivity growth and living standards. Levine has published more than 100 scholarly articles and advises governments, central banks, and multi-lateral organizations. While at the World Bank, Levine managed and conducted research and operational programs on productivity growth, legal systems influence on technological progress, and financial regulation. Click here for more information.