Jaana is an economist and a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey's business and economics research arm. Since 2003, she has led MGI’s research on competitiveness, growth, health and urbanization. Her most recent research sizes the global economic and social benefits from rethinking health as an investment, not just a cost to manage. She has also led MGI’s research on energy, with a focus on understanding the microeconomic underpinnings of global energy demand and the opportunity to reduce energy consumption through higher energy productivity.
Jaana leads MGI’s Urban World research series that includes sizing the impact of smart city solutions on citizens’ quality of life, mapping of economic power of cities, identifying global consumer groups shaping global demand, and mapping of the global company landscape; as well as the patterns of urban growth across the Americas. Her long-term research interests also include productivity prospects in the digital age, global growth prospects in an era of demographic decline, analyses of how different policies have contributed to industry competitiveness and growth, and in-depth assessments of the barriers to competitiveness and growth across a range of economies, including Brazil, Canada, Finland, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In addition to advising global business and government leaders on issues related to her areas of research, Jaana frequently contributes to policy debates through articles and conference presentations. She is a nonresident senior fellow at the Foresight, Strategy, and Risks Initiative of the Atlantic Council.
Video
How jumping industry sectors affect productivity growth
Productivity accelerates and decelerates across different industries, companies, and times. Partner Jaana Remes explains the net impact on productivity growth today.
Video & Audio
Prioritizing health to improve the economy, Bloomberg TV, July 2020
Productivity as a critical growth factor, McKinsey & Company, November 2017
GII 2015 – No ordinary disruption: Janna Remes, Global Infrastructure Initiative, March 2016
Inspiring Ideas: No Ordinary Disruption, Global Infrastructure Initiative, November 2015
Global growth: Can we predict productivity?, McKinsey & Company, January 2015
Selected published work
“Ten innovations that can improve global health,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“Seizing the health opportunity,” Project Syndicate, July 2020
“Poor health reduces global GDP by 15% each year,” Harvard Business Review, July 2020
“Good health is good business. Here's why,” Fortune, July 2020
“How prioritizing health could help rebuild economies,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“Latin America's missing middles,” Project Syndicate, August 2019
“Latin America's digital spring: work in progress,” Financial Times, August 2019
“What more can Latin America do to reduce poverty,” Latin America Advisor, February 2019
“Smarter cities are resilient cities,” McKinsey & Company, January 2019
“To tackle urban problems, city governments have to get smarter,” GovTech, July 2018
“As cities go smart, vulnerable populations are pushed further to the margins,” Eco-Business, June 2018
“Is your company ready for the rise of smart cities?,” Harvard Business Review, June 2018
“Smart cities: Digital solutions for a more livable future,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2018
“Solving the productivity puzzle: The role of demand and the promise of digitization,” McKinsey Global Institute, February 2018
“The US economy is suffering from low demand,” Harvard Business Review, February 2018
“How to counter three threats to growth in Latin America,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2017
“New insights into the slowdown in US productivity growth,” McKinsey Global Institute, March 2017
“To keep stoking the world economy, cities must adapt to demographics,” The Globe and Mail, November 2016
“Urban world: Meeting the demographic challenge in cities,” McKinsey Global Institute, October 2016
“Why China's cities will drive global growth,” Project Syndicate, September 2016
“Can Latin America reignite growth by connecting with consumers?,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2016
“Urban world: The global consumers to watch,” McKinsey Global Institute, March 2016
“Where to look for global growth,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2015
“Can long-term global growth be saved?,” McKinsey Global Institute, January 2015
“Is GDP the best measure for growth?,” McKinsey Global Institute, January 2015
“A productivity perspective on the future of growth,” McKinsey Quarterly, September 2014
“Brazil's path to inclusive growth,” McKinsey Global Institute, May 2014
“Urban world: The shifting global business landscape,” McKinsey Global Institute, October 2013
“How to make a city great,” McKinsey & Company, September 2013
“Manufacturing the future: The next era of global growth and innovation,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2012
“Urban world: Cities and the rise of the consuming class,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2012
“Urban America: US cities in the global economy,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2012
“Sustaining Vietnam's growth: The productivity challenge,” McKinsey Global Institute, February 2012
“Building globally competitive cities: The key to Latin American growth,” McKinsey Global Institute, August 2011
“Urban world: Mapping the economic power of cities,” McKinsey Global Institute, March 2011
“US growth and renewal: Retooling America’s economic engine,” McKinsey Global Institute, February 2011
Education
Stanford University
PhD in applied economics
University of Helsinki, Finland
MA in economics and philosophy