Overview
Over more than 25 years as a professor and researcher in economics and finance, my work has focused on regional economic development, macroeconomics, public finance, and applied econometrics. Between 2006 and 2026 I have authored 45 peer-reviewed articles (39 indexed in Scopus: 24 in Q1, 8 in Q2, 4 in Q3, and 3 in Q4), one book, and six book chapters. My research has been cited more thna 980 times in Google Scholar, 375 times in Scopus, and 255 times in Scival / Web of Science (as of July 2026).
Book
Cabral, R. (2024). Mexican Subnational Public Finances: Challenges and Opportunities. Editorial de la Fundacion IMEF. ISBN 978-607-8354-25-2.
Book Chapters
Cabral, R. and Cadena Espinoza, U. (2026). "Medicion de la inclusion financiera: Comparacion de los metodos tradicionales con los de aprendizaje automatico," in Perez Akaki et al. (eds.), Hacia un Sistema Financiero Inclusivo en Mexico. Tirant lo Blanch.
Saucedo de la Fuente, E. and Cabral Torres, R. (2024). "Inversion extranjera directa y comercio internacional de Mexico ante el nearshoring," in O. H. Zavaleta Vazquez (Coord.), Nearshoring. Tirant lo Blanch.
Alvarado, J. and Cabral, R. (2024). "La inversion extranjera directa en el sector manufacturero y su efecto en el empleo: un analisis para Mexico," in Galvez Santillan, Gutierrez Garza and Picazzo Palencia (Coords.), El empleo en Mexico: Contrastes y politicas. Plaza y Valdes.
Cabral, R. and Mollick, A. (2017). "Wage Convergence in Mexico," in NAFTA at 20: Effects on the North American Market, Orrenius, Canas and Weiss (Eds.). Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Herran, E., Cabral, R. and Ortega Diaz, A. (2014). "Determinantes de la demanda de marihuana y su elasticidad precio," in Gonzalez-Arechiga, B. (Ed.), El mal menor en la Gestion de las Drogas. McGraw Hill.
Cabral, R. and Villarreal Cabello, D. (2012). "The EU-Mexico Agreement: What Has Happened to Trade and Capital Flows since 2000?" in EU-Mexican Legal, Commercial, and Business Relations, Niedrist, G. (Ed.). Macmillan.
Selected Journal Articles
2026 - "Crime, Economic Forces, and Truck Crossings in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region," with Andre Mollick and Eduardo Saucedo, Regional Studies 60(1).
2026 - "Convergence in Colombia's Total Factor Productivity: A Spatial Analysis 1992-2022," with Diego Cardoso and Jesus Lopez, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
2024 - "Subnational Public Debt Sustainability in Mexico: Is the New Fiscal Rule Working?" with Ernesto del Castillo, European Journal of Political Economy 82.
2024 - "Labor Productivity and Remuneration across Mexico's Manufacturing Industry: A Spatial Approach," with Jesus Lopez Cabrera and Enrique Gonzalez Mata, Estudios Economicos 39(2): 203-241.
2022 - "Energy Reform and Energy Consumption Convergence in Mexico: A Spatial Approach," with Francisco Castellanos-Sosa and Andre Mollick, Structural Change and Economic Dynamics 61: 336-350.
2022 - "The Sustainability of Mexican Municipal Public Debt," with Ernesto del Castillo and Eduardo Saucedo, Sustainability 14(11): 6558.
2022 - "The Sustainability of Subnational Public Debt: Evidence from Mexican States," with Ernesto del Castillo and Fausto Hernandez-Trillo, Regional and Federal Studies 32(5): 593-615.
2022 - "Border Crossings from Mexico to the U.S. and the Role of Border Homicides," with Eduardo Saucedo and Andre Mollick, Crime, Law and Social Change 78: 1-22.
2022 - "The Influence of Sentiments of Economic Agents on Pedestrians and Vehicle Crossings along the US-Mexico Border," with Francisco Garcia and Eduardo Saucedo, Applied Sciences 12(5): 2512.
2021 - "The Role of FDI on Exports Performance: Evidence from the Mexican States," with Jorge Alvarado, International Regional Science Review 44(6): 684-708.
2020 - "Inflation Targeting and Exchange Rate Volatility in Emerging Markets," with Francisco Galrao and Andre Mollick, Empirical Economics 58: 605-626.
2020 - "Efficiency in Mexican Elementary Schools: A Regional Comparative," with Rocio Garcia-Diaz and Ernesto del Castillo, Investigacion Economica 79(313): 112-141.
2019 - "Northbound Border Crossings from Mexico to the US and the Peso/Dollar Exchange Rate," with Eduardo Saucedo and Andre Mollick, Research in Transportation Business & Management 33: 1-10.
2019 - "Europe's Income Convergence and the Latest Global Financial Crisis," with Francisco Castellanos-Sosa, Research in Economics 73(1): 23-34.
2019 - "Foreign Direct Investment in Mexico, Crime and Economic Forces," with Eduardo Saucedo and Andre Mollick, Contemporary Economic Policy 37(1): 68-85.
This selection highlights recent work. The complete record of 45 peer-reviewed articles (2006-2026) also includes publications in the Southern Economic Journal, Kyklos, Journal of Development Studies, North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Annals of Regional Science, Journal of Policy Modelling, International Journal of Educational Development and other leading journals. A full list is available on request.
Work in Progress
Natural Disasters, Poverty and Resilience Mechanisms (with Edith Cruz)
Climate Risk Transmission Under Monetary Policy Uncertainty: A Tale of Two Energy Markets (with Jesus Molina)
Is Violence in Mexico Affecting International Tourism? (with Jonathan Felix and Eduardo Saucedo)
The 'Flypaper Effect' as a Reflection of Government Failure (with Andrew Abbott and Philip Jones)
Global ESG Scores Convergence: Is the World Moving in the Right Direction? (with A. Ozkan, G. Ozkan and Y. Yildiz)
Evolving Inclusion: A Framework for Measuring Financial Inclusion Over Time (with Salvador Ulises Cadena and Jong-Min Kim)