Philippe Legrain (born 1973) is a British political economist and writer specializing in global and European economic issues, such as globalization, migration, the post-crisis world, and the Euro. Born in London, he has a cosmopolitan perspective, being the son of a French father and an Estonian mother who met in New York and married in 1969 before settling in London.
Legrain has authored four books, including "Open World: The Truth about Globalisation," which presents an alternative view to Naomi Klein's "No Logo." His book "Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them" was a finalist for the 2007 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. He has also written "Aftershock: Reshaping the World Economy After the Crisis" and "European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics are in a Mess – and How to Put Them Right."
From 2011 to 2014, Legrain served as principal adviser and head of the analysis team at the Bureau of European Policy Advisers to the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. In this role, he provided independent economic advice to President Barroso and led the team responsible for strategic policy advice. Prior to this, Legrain held positions as a visiting fellow at the European Institute of the London School of Economics, a senior fellow at the Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal, and a contributing editor to Prospect magazine. He has also worked as a commentator for BBC TV and radio and contributed articles to various publications, including the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, the Wall Street Journal Europe, and the New Statesman.
Legrain advocates for freer international migration, globalization, the euro, and a land value tax. He holds a BSc in economics and an MSc in politics of the world economy from the London School of Economics.
