Buiter most commonly refers to Willem Hendrik Buiter (born 26 September 1949), an American-British economist of Dutch origin. He is a prominent figure in the fields of macroeconomics, monetary policy, and international finance.
Early Life and Education
Buiter was born in The Hague, Netherlands. His father, Harm Buiter, was a Dutch economist, international trade union official, and Labour Party (PvdA) politician who served as Mayor of Groningen. Buiter holds citizenship of both the United States and the United Kingdom.
He attended the European School in Brussels (1962–1967), then studied at the University of Amsterdam before completing a B.A. in Economics with First-Class Honours at Emmanuel College, Cambridge (1971). He earned an M.A. (1972) and M.Phil. (1973) in Economics from Cambridge, and received his PhD in Economics from Yale University in 1975, with a thesis titled Temporary Equilibrium and Long-Run Equilibrium (published 1979).
Academic Career
Buiter held academic positions at several leading institutions, including:
- Princeton University (1975–1976, 1977–1979), assistant professor of economics and international affairs
- London School of Economics (1976–1977; Cassel Professor of Economics from 1982–1985)
- University of Bristol (1980–1982), professor of economics
- Yale University (1985–1994), professor of economics
- University of Cambridge (1994–2000), professor of International Macroeconomics and Fellow of Trinity College
- London School of Economics (2005–2011), professor of European Political Economy and later Political Economy
He was also a Research Associate in the Financial Markets and Monetary Economics Program of the National Bureau of Economic Research (1977–2011) and became a correspondent of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1989.
Policy and Financial Sector Roles
Buiter served as an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee from June 1997 to May 2000. He was Chief Economist and Special Advisor to the President at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (2000–2005). From 2005 to 2010, he was an International Advisor at Goldman Sachs International.
In January 2010, Buiter joined Citigroup as Global Chief Economist, a position he held until 2018, followed by a role as Special Economic Advisor until 2019. He has also served as an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (2014–2024) and as a member of the Advisory Scientific Committee of the European Systemic Risk Board (2019–2023).
Other Contributions
Buiter was a contributor to the Financial Times, where he wrote a blog titled "Maverecon" until December 2009. He has been involved in analysis of the Icelandic banking crisis and has published widely on monetary economics, fiscal policy, and financial stability. He was elected a Fellow of the European Economic Association and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Personal Life
Buiter married Jean Archer in 1973 (dissolved 1997), with whom he had two children. Since 1998, he has been married to Anne Sibert, a professor of economics at Birkbeck, University of London, who also served as an External Member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Iceland.
The surname "Buiter" is of Dutch origin and, in the context of economics and finance, is almost exclusively associated with Willem Buiter and his professional contributions.
