Dr.  Arsenio M. Balisacan is the new Dean of the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE), effective 2 August 2010.   Also a Professor at UPSE, Dr. Balisacan is a renowned development economist in Asia whose research and scholarly work is recognized by development researchers as well as bilateral and multilateral development agencies, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and various United Nations agencies.  He also serves as adviser and expert in poverty and rural development issues to local government chief executives and legislators.  Currently, he is also president of the Asia-Pacific Policy Center (APPC), the Philippine Human Development Network, and of the Asian Society of Agricultural Economists; and chairs the Task Force on Climate Change of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Philippines.

Previously, Dr. Balisacan served as SEARCA Director, Undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Agribusiness Corporation, and Member of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.

He has written/co-written a number of international publications focusing on poverty, inequality, agricultural and regional development, globalisation, sustainable development, and economic policy reforms.  He is the founding and current editor of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD), SEARCA’s international refereed journal.

Dr. Balisacan holds a PhD (economics) from the University of Hawaii, an MS degree (agricultural economics) from the University of the Philippines Los Baños obtained through SEARCA’s graduate scholarship program, and a BS degree (agriculture, magna cum laude) from Mariano Marcos State University, Philippines.