Welcome!

I serve as the Academic Director of the Penn Initiative for the Study of Markets at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Economics, where I am also a Senior Fellow. I hold a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

 My research sits at the crossroads of economic history, new institutional economics, and development economics. I explore the institutional forces that drive unification and fragmentation within political jurisdictions—not just among states but also across other entities such as religious factions. A central focus of my work is the Spanish Empire from the 16th to 19th centuries, where I analyze the fragmentation processes that ultimately gave rise to the Latin American nations.

 Additionally, my broader research projects are driven by a general interest in understanding the deep historical factors that shape development challenges in societies.