CV

Research Interests
Development, Inequality, and Political Economy —and their Historical and Institutional Dynamics

Education

2023–Present: PhD, Economic History, London School of Economics
& LSE International Inequalities Institute’s Doctoral Programme

Advisors: Tim Besley (Economics, LSE), Chris Minns (Economic History, LSE), Jean-Paul Faguet (Development, LSE)

2020: MSc Economic History, London School of Economics
Distinction + Best Dissertation Prize

2017: Exchange Program in Political Science, Sciences Po (IEP, Paris campus)
Distinction in all subjects

2018: BSc Economics (5-year programme), University of Chile
Best Graduation Exam (First Distinction), Top 1% in National Entry Exam

Positions/Experience

2024–Present: Lecturer, Economic History, LSE

Teaching Latin America and the International Economy

2023-2024: GTA, Economic History, LSE

Taught the Stata Workshop and Latin America and the International Economy.

2021–Present: Research Fellow, Centre on Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES)

Leading research centre on social inequality in Chile.

2021–2023: Lecturer and Research Fellow, Faculty of Economics (FEN), University of Chile,

Designed and taught two new courses — Economic History of Chile and Economic History of Latin America: Institutions, Inequality, and Development — and taught Macroeconomics IV (Development).

2018-2019, 2020–2021: Policy Consultant, OECD. Paris

Office of the Director (Led by Álvaro Pereira, ex OECD Chief Economist). Country Studies (Economics Department). Contributed to development and structural reform projects in Latin America and the EU.  

Office of the OECD Secretary-General, Inclusive Growth Initiative (led by Romina Boarini, Director of the OECD WISE —well-being and inequality— Centre). Contributed to three policy reports on inequality.

2017–2018: RA and Class Teacher, Faculty of Economics, University of Chile.

Research Assistant to José De Gregorio (Dean and Professor of Economics; former Governor of the Central Bank of Chile) on Macro/Development. Taught Macroeconomics I and Communication Skills.

2016: Volunteer High-School Professor, Aula Cívica (non-profit organization, Santiago, Chile).

Taught Civil and Political Rights at public schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The programme sought to reintroduce civic education removed from the national curriculum during the Pinochet regime.

Honors, Awards, and Scholarships:

2023: PhD Scholarship Analysing and Challenging Inequality. LSE International Inequalities Institute. 100% financing of PhD at LSE + living expenses

2020: Prize for the Best Dissertation, MSc Economic History, LSE

2019: Postgrad Scholarship (Becas Chile). Chilean National Agency for Research and Development.  100% financing of MSc at LSE + living expenses

2018: First Distinction, Best Graduation Exam in Economics, University of Chile.  

2014: Merit Scholarship, Top 1% University Entry Exam (National-Level), University of Chile.

2013: Excellence Prize, Best Grades at Graduation, Alliance Française High School, Santiago of Chile

2013: Honourable Mention Prize, Microrrelato Literature Contest, Spanish Cultural Centre of Chile.

Working Papers

[Forthcoming PhD Working Papers]

Irarrázaval, Andrés (2020) The fiscal origins of comparative inequality levels: an empirical and historical investigation. Economic History Working Papers (314). London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. [Msc Thesis*]

Policy Reports

OECD (2021), Enhancing economic performance and well-being in Chile. OECD Publishing, Paris. Policy Action Reports: pharmaceuticals, food,  telecommunications  and ports & labour conditions,

OECD (2019), Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development 2019: Empowering People and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality, OECD Publishing, Paris.

Martin; Irarrázaval; Williamson (2019), “Recognition – An OECD Perspective: Policy report contributing to the challenge paper on inequality and exclusion” Pathfinders/ New York University Centre on International Cooperation Publishing, New York University (NYU). NY

Presentations

2025: September 2025, The III at 10: New Directions in Inequality Research, International Inequality Institute (III, LSE). June 2025, Trans-Atlantic Doctoral Conference, London Business School, London (UK); May 2025, Welfare and Policy Conference (WAP), Bordeaux School of Economics, Bordeaux (France); May 2025, LSE Economic History Work in Progress Seminar, LSE, London (UK); April 2025, Paris School of Economics (PSE)-LSE Economic History Workshop, PSE, Paris (France). April 2025 LSE Economic History Graduate Seminar, LSE, London (UK); March 2025, European Graduate Network PhD conference, Pompeu Fabra University (Spain).

2024: December 2024, The Society for the Study of Economic Inequality (ECINEQ)- Latin America Chapter, Colegio de Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico). November 2024. LSE International Inequality Institute Seminar (III). London (UK). May 2024, LSE´s Institutions and Political Economy in Historical Perspective Workshop, London, UK. May 2024 RIDGE-Latin American Economic Association (LACEA) Forum, Institute of Economy, Pontificia Universidad Católica (PUC), Santiago (Chile). February 2024, Seminar on Political Economy and Economic History (SPEECH), LSE Economics Department. London (UK). February 2024, International Inequality Institute Seminar (III). London (UK). January 2024 Economic History Sessions, Social Sciences Faculty, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez (UAI), Santiago (Chile).

Pre-2024 (before starting my PhD). December 2023, World Congress International Economic Association (IEA), Medellin (Colombia). July 2023, Tsinghua University´s International and Area Studies (IAS) Forum. Beijing (China). April 2023: University of Chile´s Economics Department (DECON) Seminar. Santiago (Chile). December 2022: Research Institute for Development, Growth, and Economics (RIDGE), University of Los Andes, Bogotá (Colombia). November 2022: Centre for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES) International Conference. Diego Portales University. Santiago (Chile), October 2022: Economic History Sessions, History Department, University of Chile. Santiago (Chile); July 2022: World Economic History Congress (WEHC). Paris (France). November 2021 University of Chile´s Economics Department (DECON) Seminar. Santiago (Chile).

Language Skills
Fluent in written and spoken English, French, and Spanish. Fluent in spoken Italian.

Hobbies/Activities
Running, Cycling, Trekking & Tennis. Cinema/Theatre, Literature, Galleries, and Pubs.

References

Sir Timothy Besley, Professor, Department of Economics, London School of Economics
Contact: t.besley@lse.ac.uk

Chris Minns, Professor, Department of Economic History, London School of Economics
Contact: c.minns@lse.ac.uk

José De Gregorio, Dean and Professor of Economics, Economics Faculty, University of Chile
Contact: jdegregorio@fen.uchile.cl

Jeremiah Dittmar, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, London School of Economics
Contact: j.e.dittmar@lse.ac.uk

Dante Contreras, Deputy Director of the Centre for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES) and Professor of Economics at the University of Chile.
Contact: dcontrer@fen.uchile.cl 

Some quotes

“The true birthplace is that wherein for the first time one looks intelligently upon oneself; my first homelands have been books, and to a lesser degree schools.”  

― Marguerite Yourcenar, Memoirs of Hadrian 

"The enemy of the conventional wisdom is not ideas but the march of events. [....] The conventional wisdom accommodates itself not to the world it is meant to interpret, but to the audience´s view of the world".

― John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society

"The produce of the earth (...) is divided among three classes of the community; namely, the proprietor of the land, the owner of the stock or capital necessary for its cultivation, and the labourers by whose industry it is cultivated" [...]

"To determine the laws which regulate this distribution, is the principal problem in Political Economy"

― David Ricardo, On The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation

"Nothing appears more surprizing to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers"

―David Hume, On The First Principles of Government

"For the taxes that are imposed to the people by the sovereign power are nothing but the wages that are due to those who hold the public sword to defend private men in their exercise of various trades and professions. So, the benefit that everyone receives from taxes is the enjoyment of life."

― Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan 

Additional quotes

Why I am a prisoner of this tragic search?

What is it that calls me and hides

That follows me and shouts my name 

And when I turn around and reach out of the hands of my eyes

Throws a fog over me as impenetrable as a night of dead stars? 

(...)

Don’t you see you´re still falling?
Clear your head of prejudice and morals
And if in trying to soar you´ve gotten nowhere
Let yourself fall endlessly fearlessly fall to the depths of darkness
Unafraid of the mystery of yourself
And perhaps you´ll find a darkles light
Lost in the cracks of the cliffs

(...)

Here begins the unexplored territory 

― Vicente Huidobro, Altazor  (1919-31)