BIO

I am Professor of Economics at CEMFI and I have a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT. I am also ERC Consolidator Grantee and member of the director board of the Review of Economic Studies. In 2021 I was awarded the Banco Sabadell Award to the best Spanish economist under 40. I am an occasional collaborator of El País. My research interests are in the fields of Political Economy and Economic Development.

Photo by Javier Arias. Courtesy of Fundación Telefónica.

CV

Academic Positions

Jan 2023 – present: CEMFI, Full Professor

Oct 2018 – Dec 2022: CEMFI, Associate Professor (with tenure)

Nov 2018 – April 2019: MIT, Visiting Associate Professor

Sep 2014 – Oct 2018: CEMFI, Associate Professor

Jan 2013 – Sep 2014: CEMFI, Assistant Professor

July 2010 – Dec 2012: Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, Assistant Professor

Affiliations and Other Positions

2023 – Member of the Advisory Council on Economic Affairs of the Spanish Government

2023 – Associate Editor, Journal of the European Economic Association

2022 – Affiliate Professor at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab

2022 – Council Member of the European Economic Association

2022 – Board of Directors of the Review of Economic Studies

2022 – Senior Fellow, Esade Center for Economic Policy (EsadeEcPol)

2022 – Member of the Academic Council of the Barcelona School of Economics

2022 – Member of the Jury of the Jaume I Prize in Economics

2020 – Council of the Spanish Economic Association (AEE)

2020 – Associate Editor Journal of the Spanish Economic Association (SERIEs)

2017 – Editorial Board of the Review of Economic Studies

2017 – CEPR, Development Economics, Research Affiliate

2017 – BREAD, Research Affiliate

2016 – IGC, Research Affiliate

Education

2005 – 2010: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D. in Economic
Ph.D. Committee: Daron Acemoglu, Abhijit Banerjee, Benjamin Olke

2004 – 2005: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (1st year Ph.D.)

2000 – 2004: Universitat Pompeu Fabra (B.A. in Economics)

Grants and Awards

2023 – 2024: Associate Editor, Journal of the European Economic Association.

2023: National Research Award (Premio Nacional de Investigación) “Clara Campoamor”, Junior Category, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

2022 – 2027: ERC Consolidator Grant.

2022 – 2023: La Caixa Foundation, Social Science Research Grant (100,000 €).

2021: Award to the Best Spanish Economist under the Age of 40, Fundación Banco Sabadell.

2021-2023: Ministry of Science and Innovation Grant (Co-PI with Diego Puga).

2020 – 2025: Structural Transformation and Economic Growth (STEG),
co-Leader of the Political Economy Theme with Leonard Wantchekon.

2018 – 2019: Europa Excelencia Grant ($75,000).

2018 – 2019: José Castillejos Fellowship for International Academic Visits.

2016 – 2017: J-PAL Pilot grant ($51,000).

2015 – 2017: Fundación Ramon Areces Grant (36,000 €).

2015 – 2020: Ramon y Cajal Grant, Spanish Ministry of Economics (208,600 €).

2010: Schultz Fund, MIT.

2008 – 2010: Fundación Ramón Areces Scholarship.

2007 – 2008: MIT Economics Department Fellowship.

2005 – 2007: Fundación Rafael del Pino Scholarship.

Seminars and Conferences

2024 (including scheduled): UC Berkeley (Economics Departmental Seminar), Nobel Symposium (Cape Town), Oxford University.

2023: CEPR/Warwick/Princeton/Yale Polecon Symposium, J-PAL at 20 Paris Colloquium, NBER Political Economy Summer Institute.

2022: The Political Economy of Democracy and Dictatorship Conference, University of Münster (keynote speaker), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Bocconi, World Bank,  Nova Lisboa, Science Po-PSE, 11th Research Workshop CEMFI-Banco de España, Workshop on the Pandemic Crisis and Democratic Preferences – IPERG, 5th Annual Research Conference-discussant (Banco de España).

2021: Princeton University, University of Chicago (Harris School), Universidad Carlos III, CREST, LSE, University of Pittsburgh, University of Geneva.

2020: University Pompeu Fabra, STEG Political Economy Inception Conference, POLECONUK Webinar, Queen Mary, Stockholm University, IIES.

2019: Harvard (Brazilian Studies Seminar), MIT (Development Seminar), Columbia University, Harvard University (x2, Religion and History Seminars), Brown University, Boston University, NBER Organizational Economics, Workshop on the Political Economy of Development and Conflict IV -UPF (discussant), IEB, 2nd Catalan Economic Society Conference, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Dept. of Applied Economics), Barcelona GSE Summer Forum (presenter & discussant), Madrid Political Economy Workship, NBER-Development Economics Fall Workshop.

2018: University of Zurich, Calvó-Armengol International Prize Workshop, Understanding the Demand for Democracy Workshop, Munich, CfPE-Vancouver, Harvard University (Department of Government).

2017: American Economic Association Meetings (Chicago), Oxford University, Workshop on the Political Economy of Development and Conflict IV -UPF (discussant), Political Economy of Development Workshop in Warwick.

2016: Warwick/Princeton Political Economy Conference, Toulouse School of Economics, Stanford Comparative Politics Seminar, Workshop on the Political Economy of Development and Conflict III –UPF (discussant), ECARES.

2015: Yale University, RIDGE/LACEA-PEG Workshop on Political Economy, PUC-Rio, UC-Berkeley-Haas, Workshop on the Political Economy of Development and Conflict III -UPF, Barcelona GSE Summer Forum, World Congress of the Econometric Society (Montreal), University of Vienna, Aalto University, Yale Conference on Political Economy and Development, Science Po.

2014: Bank of Spain, University Pompeu Fabra, IIES, Stanford University, UC-Berkeley, London School of Economics & UCL, Workshop on the Political Economy of Development and Conflict II -UPF (discussant), Barcelona GSE Summer Forum, CEPR-PODER, European Economic Association, Navarra Center for International Development, Università Bocconi, Stanford GSB (Political Economy Group), Oxford University.

2013: University of Edinburgh, Symposium on Economic Governance (Hong Kong Univ of Science and Technology), IEB Workshop on Fiscal Federalism, NBER-PEPF SI, JPAL-Jakarta, University of Mannheim, Universidad Carlos III, Universidad de Alicante, CEMFI, Universidad de Vigo, Paris School of Economics, Namur University.

2012: CEMFI, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, LACEA-PEG.

2011: World Bank (Applied Economic Seminar), SAEe.

2010: University of Virginia, Amherst College, University of Toronto, Maryland University, Berkeley Center of Political Economy, NEUDC, SAEe.

Service to Profession

Referee for: Econometrica, American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economic Studies, Journal of the European Economic Association, Review of Economics and Statistics, American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Economic Journal, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Public Economics, Economic Development and Cultural Change, World Bank Economic Review.

2023: Chair of Scientific Committee of the 48th Simposio de la Asociación Española de Economía – Spanish Economic Association (SAEe), Salamanca.

2021 – present: Regular Op-Ed writer for El País.

2020 – 2024: Scientific co-leader (with Samuel Bentolila) of the Inclusion Policy Lab of the Spanish Ministry of Social Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. Partnership with the Ministry to conduct 34 randomize control trials to evaluate social policies in Spain.

2020 – 2021: Scientific Council of the European Economic Association Conference (Rotterdam), Lead Committee Members for Development Economics.

2018 – 2022: Scientific committee del LACEA-Political Economy Group.

2018 – 2020: Coordinator of the evaluation of funding proposals by the Spanish National Evaluation Agency.

Students

Sophie Nottmeyer (PhD advisor, 2025 (expected))

Yanina Domenella (PhD co-advisor with Samuel Bentolila, 2025 (expected))

Christhian Maruthiah (PhD advisor, 2024 (expected))

Yang Xun (PhD advisor, 2024 (expected))

Qianqian Shang (PhD advisor, 2023, Shandong University AP)

Daniela Sola (PhD co-advisor with Paula Bustos, 2023, University Carlos III AP)

Andreas Stegmann (PhD advisor, 2019, Briq Postdoc & Warwick University AP)

Gustavo Fajardo (PhD advisor, 2016, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America)

Ines Berniell (PhD co-advisor, 2015, Universidad de la Plata)