Research

Job Market paper:

• Property with different rights: The long-run effects of Ecuador's agrarian reform (link) [AI generated podcast ] [slides] 

  • Short abstract: In a quasi-experimental setting, I compare areas that benefited from public land transfers (land privatization) with areas that were affected by expropriations during Ecuador's agrarian reform. Public land transfers allowed flexibility in crop choice to beneficiaries, while expropriations limited crop choice to rice. Thirty years later, regions that benefited from public land transfers have higher agricultural productivity, especially in non-traditional crops, and better development outcomes in general. Expropriated areas are still dedicated to rice production. These areas are vulnerable to informal credit, which is a novel mechanism for perpetuating a cycle of path dependency on annual crops such as rice.

Presentations: Stellenbosch(2025), TEC Monterrey(2025), Lancaster(2024), Royal Economic Society(2024), Economic history society(2024), Manchester(2024), European Winter meeting of the econometric society(2023), RIDGE(2023), Lewis Lab Graduate Students Workshop (2023) , Liverpool (2023), Manchester(2023).

Working papers:

• Populism and distributive politics(link) [Under review] 

[AI generated podcast] 

• • Short abstract: A populist regime in Ecuador used past repression episodes to consolidate its initial core constituency. Regions exposed to these repressions increased their number of bureaucrats, but only through their support for the populist regime. 

(Subsumes: Help me help you? Populism and distributive politics in Ecuador)

Presentations: Lacea-Lames (2022), Applied Young Economists Webinar (Monash) (2022), Escuela Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) (2022), University of Warwick -Political Economy Summer School-(2022).

• Can agrarian reform cause stunting?

[AI generated podcast] 

• • Short abstract: Stunting remains a major policy concern in Ecuador. This paper explores the 1960s–70s agrarian reform as a potential cause. Land was allocated through public transfers and expropriations. Findings show lower stunting rates in regions with public land transfers but no impact from expropriations. The likely mechanism is human capital accumulation—mothers exposed to public land transfers in childhood attain higher education and are less likely to have stunted children.

Presentations: TEC Monterrey-Campus Puebla-(2025).