Professor Xavier Debrun is a globally respected economic policy expert with over 25 years of experience at the highest levels of international economic governance, policy research, and academic teaching. He currently serves as Head of the Economics and Research Department at the National Bank of Belgium. He is a Member of the European Fiscal Board, which advises the European Commission on the implementation of the EU fiscal framework.
Prior to his current roles, Professor Debrun spent two decades at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), working in both the Research and Fiscal Affairs Departments. At the IMF, he played a leading role in the design of macro-fiscal policies, debt sustainability assessments, international monetary cooperation, and the creation of institutional frameworks for sound public finance management. He has advised a wide range of countries, including low-income, emerging market, and advanced economies, as well as regional blocs.
His technical expertise covers fiscal policy rules, macro-fiscal forecasting, independent fiscal institutions, and public debt management. He has led numerous IMF technical assistance missions supporting governments in strengthening their fiscal institutions and improving the credibility and sustainability of their public finance systems.
Professor Debrun holds a Ph.D. in International Economics from the Graduate Institute in Geneva and a degree in economics from the University of Namur. His academic contributions include visiting professorships at the Graduate Institute (Geneva), UCLouvain, the University of Geneva, and the University of Clermont-Auvergne. He has also taught courses on macroeconomics, international economics, and public finance at the undergraduate, graduate, MBA, and executive levels—including on platforms such as edX.
He is widely published in peer-reviewed journals, policy volumes, and leading global economic reports, with research interests spanning international policy coordination, the macroeconomics of public policy, political economy, and governance.
