GDP per capita, in 1990 international dollars.
Source: Arroyo Abad and van Zanden (2017)
Economist, historian, professor, dog lover, Argentinean, American by choice; not necessarily in that order.
I am an economic historian who specializes in the long-term economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean. My research takes me around the world to gather historical data from a variety of archives.
My research agenda answers questions about development and growth in historical perspective. Specifically, I ask: Why are some nations richer than others? What are the determinants of inequality? These are quintessential questions that have inspired many economists since the appearance of economics as a discipline. I explore these questions with a special focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. This region has an incredibly rich and diverse history.
A very basic question in economic history is how to measure and compare the standard of living experienced by people in different historical settings through time. Tracing living standards in the very long run allows us to understand how major factors such as technological change (e.g. the Industrial Revolution), trade (e.g. globalization), and institutions (e.g. rule of law) impact the economic well-being of the bulk of the population.
More recently, my research agenda looks at how institutions affect short-term and long-run outcomes in Latin America. I have looked at the case of labor coercion in Peru and customs receiverships all over Latin America.
I am a member of the Editorial board of the Journal of Economic History and trustee of the Cliometrics Society and the European Historical Economics Society. I am also a member of NSF-funded Global Prices and Income History Group and the advisory board of the Maddison Project. I held visiting appointments at the London School of Economics and Universidad Carlos III. I teach courses in macroeconomics, economic history, and topics in economic development.
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, I got my B.A. in Economics at the Argentine Catholic University and a M.A. in Latin American Studies at the University of Kansas. I obtained my M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics at the University of California, Davis. After college, I worked as a financial and economic analyst for a few years in my home country.