Hilton Root is Co-Head of Research at the Vienna Institute for Global Studies (VIGS) and Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. A political economist and international development specialist, he has held senior roles at the U.S. Treasury Department, the Asian Development Bank, and the Hoover Institution, and has advised international organizations including the IMF, World Bank, OECD, UNDP, and USAID.Root’s research explores the role of institutions, governance, and cultural evolution in shaping economic and political outcomes, with a particular focus on Asia and global development. He is the author of ten books and more than 100 scholarly articles, and his commentary has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The National Interest, The Diplomat, and other outlets. His forthcoming book, Moral Foundations of Global Order, examines governance and state formation in China and the West, building on four decades of scholarship.