Thomas A. Timberg

Principal Associate

Education

A.B., Government, Harvard College
Ph.D., Political Economy and Government, Harvard University

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Dr. Timberg, a senior economist at Nathan since 1985, is among the world's leading authorities on small business promotion and financial development. His articles and papers on SME finance are widely cited. He recently published Informal Remittance Systems and Afghanistan in which he discusses remittance systems in the Middle East and South Asia. In 2003 he gave several presentations on Islamic Banking in Indonesia.

Dr. Timberg is currently leading a Project Management Unit for the World Bank-supported Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Project in Abuja, Nigeria. This $33.9 million project is promoting access to financial and nonfinancial services for certain enterprises, especially in Abia, Kaduna and Lagos, as well as improvements in business registration, secured lending, alternative dispute resolution, credit information, and public-private dialogue. In 2004, Dr. Timberg led a team evaluating the effectiveness and impact of CARE/Bangladesh’s $175 million Integrated Food Security Program.

Thoroughly familiar with Indonesia's banking system, he advised the Bank of Indonesia in small credit matters from 1999 to 2003 under USAID’s Partnership for Economic Growth project. He worked with the credit bureau and the rural banking directorate of Bank Indonesia and the state ministry for small enterprise and cooperatives to help them make the transition to market-based small business development. In connection with this work, he published articles and working papers on SME finance in business, such as What We Know About Small and Medium Enterprise Finance in Indonesia.

Dr. Timberg also advises on taxation, antitrust matters, investment opportunities, deregulation, budgeting, and industrial development. From 1997 to 1999, he was chief of party for the IRIS Caucasus Center in Armenia—a think tank—which helped the government negotiate Armenia's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Dr. Timberg was responsible for these WTO negotiations and for developing Armenia's industrial and small business promotion policy.

From 1985 to 1990 he directed USAID’s worldwide ARIES project, which covered small and microenterprise promotion in more than 30 countries. He has evaluated SME credit programs in Bangladesh, Honduras, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and numerous other countries.At several times over the last few years he has done studies on trade finance and microfinance in Mozambique and South Africa, both members of the South African Development Community.