Erwin R. Tiongson is Professor of the Practice and Director of the Global Human Development Program (GHD) at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS).
He previously served as Professor in the Practice of International Affairs, Concentration Chair for International Development, and Deputy Director of the M.S. Foreign Service (MSFS) Program. Prior to joining Georgetown in 2014, he was a Senior Economist at the World Bank and served in the Europe and Central Asia Region and in the Latin America and Caribbean Region. He first joined the World Bank in 2003 through its Young Professionals Program. Occasionally, he continues to serve on an advisory capacity or as a senior consultant to selected World Bank policy research projects.
He also served as staff member of the International Monetary Fund from 1997-2003 and served as Associate Professor at the Asian Institute of Management from 2009-2011. He is an affiliate scholar of the Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM), Research Fellow of Das Institut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA) (Institute for the Study of Labor), External Research Fellow of the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM) at the University College London, and Fellow at Historical Household Budgets. His co-authored papers on migration have been published in the Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and International Migration Review, among others. He is lead author or co-author of three World Bank books: Back to Work: Growing with Jobs in Europe and Central Asia (2013); The Crisis Hits Home: Stress Testing Households in Europe and Central Asia (2010); and Growth, Poverty and Inequality: Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (2005).
In addition to his work as an economist, Erwin is a community historian and author of the book Philippine-American Heritage in Washington, D.C. (History Press, 2023). His essays have appeared in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Magazine, The New York Times, Positively Filipino, Slate, The Washington Post, Washingtonian and White House History Quarterly. He is cofounder of the Philippines on the Potomac (POPDC) Project. His historical research has been featured by Scientific American's podcast, Lost Women of Science. He served on the advisory committee of the new Smithsonian exhibit, How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories (2025-2027), now on display on the 2nd floor of the National Museum of American History. On request, pro bono, and mostly for-the-love-of, he takes people on Philippine American-history themed walking tours of downtown DC.
Erwin holds a Ph.D. and an M.Phil. in Economics from The George Washington University, an M.P.P. from Georgetown University, an M.A. in Economics from Fordham University, and a B.A. in Philosophy from the Ateneo de Manila University. He was born and raised in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines.
Academic Appointment(s)
- Primary
- Professor of the Practice, SFS - Global Human Development (GHD)