Måns Söderbom

Måns Söderbom is a Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg, where he has served as Head of Department from 2015 to 2021. He holds academic affiliations with institutions such as the International Growth Centre (IGC) and UNU-WIDER. His expertise lies in development economics, with a focus on manufacturing productivity, industrial policy, and the impact of infrastructure and trade policies in developing economies.

Education: PhD in Economics from the University of Gothenburg (2000), Bachelor of Economics and Business Administration from Göteborg University (1995). Prior to his current position, he worked at the University of Oxford’s Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE) from 2000 to 2007.

Research Interests: His work addresses critical questions in development economics, including firm-level dynamics in Africa, the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI), and the role of infrastructure in economic growth. He has conducted extensive studies on Ethiopia’s manufacturing sector, post-harvest agricultural technologies, and the impact of policy interventions on firm performance.

Publications Highlight: Söderbom has over 50 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Economic Development and Cultural Change, Journal of Development Studies, and World Bank Economic Review. Recent work includes studies on storage technology adoption in Tanzanian agriculture and the relationship between enterprise clustering and productivity in Ethiopia.

Grants & Awards: Recipient of awards from the Swedish Research Council, IZA, and Sida/SAREC. He was voted Teacher of the Year (2007) by students at the University of Oxford.

Advising & Mentorship: Supervised over 15 PhD students, including notable scholars who have taken up academic roles at universities like Columbia, Renmin University of China, and the University of Cape Town.

Labs/Teams: Active in collaborative research networks such as the International Growth Centre (IGC) and leads projects on industrial policy and firm competitiveness in Africa.