Eugenia McGill

Focus areas: Social impacts of globalization and development interventions and development finance, particularly gender-related impacts, as well as innovative and inclusive approaches to development planning

Eugenia (Jenny) McGill is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of International and Public Affairs and Co-Director of the Economic and Political Development Concentration at SIPA, where she directs the Workshop in Sustainable Development Practice and teaches courses in Methods for Sustainable Development Practice and Gender, Politics and Development. She also co-chairs SIPA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Climate and Engagement (DEICE) Committee. Her teaching and research interests include the social impacts of globalization, development interventions and development finance, particularly gender-related impacts, as well as innovative and inclusive approaches to development planning.

A lawyer and development specialist, Professor McGill also advises development agencies, governments and nongovernmental organizations on social policy, law and development issues, and on addressing gender and other social concerns through development plans, programs and projects. Some of her recent projects include the development of a gender analytical framework to guide the World Trade Organization (for the International Trade Centre), the development of a gender vision for the Asian Development Bank, a study of Asian donor support for gender equality and women’s empowerment (for the UN University’s World Institute for Development Economics Research), an assessment of gender impacts of the global recession in the Mekong region (for Asian Development Bank), and a gender analysis of trade laws and policies in Bangladesh (for the US Agency for International Development). Her recent publications include:

• “Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Asia Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities for ADB.”  2024.  In The Elgar Companion to the Asian Development Bank (M.G. Quibria and Albab Akanda, eds.).  Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• “A Gender Analytical Framework to Guide World Trade Organization Action to Promote Women’s Economic Empowerment.”  2023. Framework paper co-authored with Dr. Marzia Fontana, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, for the International Trade Centre under a project funded by the European Commission. 
• “Critical Perspectives on ‘Governance Feminism’: A Review of Governance Feminism – Notes from the Field, Edited by Janet Halley, Prabha Kotiswaran, Rachel Rebouché and Hila Shamir.”  2019.  The Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 72, No. 2 (Dynamics of Global Feminism).

Professor McGill serves on the Board of Directors of the East-West Management Institute.  She has also served on the Board of Directors of Women Thrive Worldwide, the Oversight Council of The School at Columbia University, and the National Screening Committee for the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowships. Previously, she was a senior officer at Asian Development Bank and practiced law with Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton in New York and Hong Kong.  

Education

• JD, University of Pennsylvania
• MIA, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
• MAT, Northwestern University
• BA, Williams College

Affiliations

• Board, East-West Management Institute