Policy Papers

El Salvador (2023-2026)

  • Santos, M.A., García, H., and Trujillo, M.A. “Diagnóstico de Crecimiento de El Salvador: Del fin de la violencia al desarrollo sostenible.” 2024.

  • Gómez-Zaldívar, F., Cortés, H., Espinoza, V., Morales-Arilla, J., and Santos, M.A. “La Complejidad Económica de El Salvador: Usando proximidades tecnológicas para identificar oportunidades de diversificación productiva.” 2024.

  • Santos, M.A., Silverio-Murillo, A., Balmori-de-la-Miyar, J., and Rodríguez, A. “Crime Impacts of El Salvador’s Crackdown Policy.” 2026.

Tanzania (2023)

  • Klinger, B., Santos, M.A., Arroyo, C., and Vashkinskaya, E. “Growth Diagnostics and Competitiveness Study of the Manufacturing Sector in Tanzania.” 2023.

Namibia (2022-2025)

  • Fortunato, A., and Santos, M.A. “Public-Private Dialogs to Spur Export-led Growth: The Case of Productivity Taskforces in Namibia.” 2025.

  • Hausmann, R., Santos, M., Barrios, D., Taniparti, N., Tudela, J., and Lu, J. “The Economic Complexity of Namibia: A Roadmap for Productive Diversification.” Harvard CID Faculty Working Paper No. 410. March 2022.

  • Hausmann, R., Santos, M.A., Barrios, D., Taniparti, N., Tudela, J., Muci, J.F., and Lu, J. “A Growth Diagnostic of Namibia.” Harvard CID Faculty Working Paper No. 405. February 2022.

  • Namibia’s industry targeting dashboard

Loreto, Amazonia Peruana (2020)

  • Hausmann, R., Santos, M., Tudela Pye, J., Muci, F., Li, Y., Miralles-Wilhelm, F., Grisanti, A., and Lu, J. “Reporte de Recomendaciones de Política: Hacia un Loreto más próspero.” CID Faculty Working Paper No. 388. December 2020.

  • Hausmann, R., Santos, M., Muci, F., Tudela Pye, J., Grisanti, A., and Lu, J. “Diagnóstico de Crecimiento de Loreto: Principales Restricciones al Desarrollo Sostenible.” CID Faculty Working Paper No. 387. November 2020.

  • Hausmann, R., Santos, M., Tudela Pye, J., Li, Y., and Grisanti, A. “Loreto’s Hidden Wealth: Economic Complexity Analysis and Productive Diversification Opportunities.” CID Faculty Working Paper No. 386. March 2021.

Buenos Aires (2020)

  • Hausmann, R., Goldstein, P., Grisanti, A., Barrios, D., Muhaj, D., Noor, S., Pan, C., Santos, M., Tapia, J., and Zuccolo, B. “Emerging Cities as Independent Engines of Growth: The Case of Buenos Aires.” CID Faculty Working Paper No. 385. October 2020.

Jordan (2019)

  • Hausmann, R., Goldstein, P., Grisanti, A., O’Brien, T., Tapia, J., and Santos, M.A. “A Roadmap for Investment Promotion and Export Diversification: The Case for Jordan.” Harvard CID Faculty Working Paper No. 374. December 2019. Revised February 2020.

  • Kasoolu, S., Hausmann, R., O’Brien, T., Barrios, D., and Santos, M.A. “Female Labor in Jordan: A Systematic Approach to the Exclusion Puzzle.” Harvard CID Working Paper No. 365. October 2019.

  • Hausmann, R., O’Brien, T., Barrios, D., Santos, M., Grisanti, A., Kasoolu, S., Taniparti, N., Tapia, J., and Villasmil, R. “Jordan: Elements of a growth strategy.” Harvard CID Working Paper No. 364. February 2019.

Hermosillo (2017-2018)

  • Barrios, D., and Santos, M.A. (2019). “Is there life after Ford?” in Davis, D., Vera, F., Seijas, A., and Arcia, D. (eds.) City Design, Planning and Policy Innovations: The Case of Hermosillo. Inter-American Development Bank, July 2019, pp. 131-153.

  • Hausmann, R., Barrios, D., Santos, M., Grisanti, A., Obach, J., Ramos, J., and Tapia, J. “Sí hay un futuro después de los autos: Análisis de crecimiento económico para Hermosillo.” Center for International Development, Harvard Kennedy School. October 2017.

Venezuela (2015-2026)

  • Santos, M.A., Morales-Arilla, J., and Partipilo Cornielles, Z. “From Collective Punishment to Constraints on Authority.” 2026.

  • Santos, M.A. “La Venezuela del día antes (y la del día después),” en Comunidad Venezuela: Una agenda de investigación y acción local (Alejandro Fajardo y Alejandra Vargas, eds.). International Development Research Center de Canadá. May 2021.

  • Bahar, D., Bustos, S., Morales, J., and Santos, M.A. “Revisiting the evidence: Impact of the 2017 sanctions on Venezuela.” May 2019.

  • Bahar, D., Molina, C., and Santos, M.A. “Fool’s Gold: On the Impact of Venezuelan Devaluations in Multinational Stock Prices.” Economia LACEA Fall 2018 Issue. Vol. 19 no. 1, 2018, pp. 93-128.

  • Halff, A., Monaldi, F., Palacios, L., and Santos, M. “Code Red: Venezuela’s Oil and Debt Crises.” Columbia University. February 2018.

  • Santos, M.A. “Venezuela: Running on empty.” Latin American Studies Association, Volume 48, Issue 1, Winter 2017.

  • Halff, A., Monaldi, F., Palacios, L., and Santos, M. “Apocalypse Now: Venezuela, Oil and Reconstruction.” Columbia University. July 2017.

  • Reinhart, C., and Santos, M.A. “From Financial Repression To External Distress: The Case Of Venezuela.” National Bureau of Economic Research. July 2015.

Panamá (2016-2017)

  • Hausmann, R., Santos, M., and Obach, J. “Appraising the Economic Potential of Panama: Policy Recommendations for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth.” Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Research Working Paper No. 334. May 2017.

  • Hausmann, R., Espinoza, L., and Santos, M.A. “Shifting Gears: A Growth Diagnostic of Panama.” Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Research Working Paper No. RWP 16-045. October 2016 (revised January 2017).

  • Hausmann, R., Obach, J., and Santos, M.A. “Special Economic Zones in Panama: A Labor Market Perspective.” Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Research Working Paper No. RWP 16-044. September 2016 (revised January 2017).

  • Morales, J.R., Hausmann, R., and Santos, M.A. “Panama beyond the Canal: Using Technological Proximities to Identify Opportunities for Productive Diversification.” Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Research Working Paper No. RWP 16-046. October 2016 (revised March 2017).

Chiapas (2014-2021)

  • Hausmann, R., Pietrobelli, C., and Santos, M.A. “Place-specific determinants of income gaps: New sub-national evidence from Mexico.” Journal of Business Research, Volume 131, July 2021, Pages 782-792.

  • Levy, D., Espinoza, L., Flores, M., Hausmann, R., and Santos, M.A. “Why is Chiapas poor?” Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Research Working Paper No. RWP 16-049. October 2016.

  • Cheston, T., Hausmann, R., Pietrobelli, C., and Santos, M.A. “Towards a Prosperous and Productive Chiapas: Institutions, Policies, and Public-Private Dialog to Promote Inclusive Growth.” Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Research Working Paper No. RWP 16-047. October 2016.

  • Espinoza, L., Hausmann, R., and Santos, M.A. “Chiapas Growth Diagnosis: The Trap of Low Productivity.” Harvard CID Faculty Working Paper Series No. 304. October 2015.

  • Cheston, T., Hausmann, R., and Santos, M.A. “La complejidad económica de Chiapas.” Harvard CID Faculty Working Paper Series No. 302. September 2015.

  • Dal Buoni, S., Garriga, E., Lusetti, C., and Santos, M.A. “Piloto de Crecimiento Inclusivo en comunidades indígenas de Chiapas en Cruztón, Chamula.” Harvard CID Research Fellow & Graduate Student Working Paper No. 65. November 2015.