World Bank chief economist warns trade tensions risk worsening poverty Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, the World Bank's chief economist, says ongoing trade tensions across the world may prevent some poor countries from ever getting out of poverty. "If this continues and investment remains low, this means that some countries will never manage to get out of poverty, but it also means countries that have managed to lift themselves out of poverty, that have become middle-income countries by now, they may revert. They may go backwards." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES