Mr Michael Whitbread
The Development Planning Unit conducts world-leading research and postgraduate teaching that helps to build the capacity of national governments, local authorities, NGOs, aid agencies and businesses working towards socially just and sustainable development in the global south. We are part of The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment.
Profile
Biography
Michael has over 40 years experience working on public policy issues. He has specialised in economic analysis including cost/benefit and financial analyses associated with government service provision, primarily in the areas of urban development, the environment and poverty reduction. He was for several years an Economic Advisor at the then UK Department of Environment where he worked on the preparation of housing, inner city and urban deprivation policies, policy towards public bodies and the privatisation of the water industry. For some time in the civil service he transferred to the UK Department of Industry and worked on regional development policy, including EU regional policy.
Later, as a consultant, the UK Government published under his authorship several evaluations of government policies covering derelict urban land, urban regeneration and the trade/offs between economic development and environmental degredation in the UK.
In 1993 Michael became a staff member at the World Bank where he was a task manager for urban development and urban water supply and sanitation projects in India and elsewhere in SE Asia. He managed a loan portfolio in excess of $1 billion. Between 1998 and 2006 he lived in the Far East, working on a variety of projects in China. During this time he was a team leader of an Asian Development Bank funded water supply project in Uzbekistan.
On return to the UK in 2006 he has been a Member of three public bodies, has undertaken consulting assignments and has taught a course in Urban Economics at the Development Planning Unit.
Research Summary
Michael´s current research interests are primarily concerned with the monetary measurement of intangible costs and benefits, with a focus on urban environmental issues.
He has undertaken research with the late Prof Nathaniel Lichfield at UCL on project evaluation methodologies, and with Prof Max Neutze at the Australian National University on the determinants of regional economic development.
Recently he has been a Member of the UK ESRC´s Research Resources Board.