Katja Bender is a development economist. She is a professor for Economics, in particular Economic and Social Development at Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (BRSU) and Executive Director of the International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE). She is also heading the international MBA-program CSR and NGO Management. Her current focal research areas include social protection and health system development in low and middle-income countries, the political economy of institutional change, and the link between social policies and inclusive growth. She has more than 15 years of experience in interdisciplinary and international research, teaching in international study programs in Germany and South Africa and working in international cooperation with a focus on development economics, social protection and health. Her working experience includes several Asian and African countries. In 2017 she has been appointed Vice-President of the European Association for Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI).