Andrew M. Fischer is Associate Professor of Social Policy and Development Studies at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He is the current convenor of the poverty studies specialization at ISS and teaches on population, poverty and development economics. As an interdisciplinary development economist with extensive field experience, his research focuses on poverty and inequality, and how these are affected by patterns of economic growth, social policy, aid, trade and finance. He earned a PhD in development studies from the London School of Economics, UK, where he researched China’s economic development strategies in Western China.