I am a Tax Auditor at the Federal Revenue of Brazil (RFB), where I work on estimating tax collection gaps and conducting research using large-scale administrative datasets. My work involves improving taxpayer selection and studying tax evasion, enforcement effects, spillover dynamics, and behavioral responses, applying causal inference methods and machine learning models.

I am also a Research Fellow at CLEAN Unit (Bocconi University) and at the Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS), and a Research Associate at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) My academic research focuses on taxation and development economics, exploring topics such as the effects of tax decentralization and enforcement, intergenerational mobility, inequality, poverty, informality, and the long-term impacts of social safety nets.

I hold a PhD in Economics from PIMES/UFPE, with a research period at Bocconi University. Previously, I earned an MPA from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University as a Fulbright Fellow, a Master’s in Economics, and degrees in Economics and Law. My doctoral thesis received an Honorable Mention in the CAPES Thesis Award for the best doctoral dissertation in Economic Sciences in Brazil.

My work has been featured in Valor Econômico, Folha de São Paulo, O Globo, VoxDev, and other outlets.

Here is my Curriculum Vitae  

Contact info: alexandre.fonseca@rfb.gov.br | alexandredeafonseca@gmail.com

Upcoming conference: 

Nov 20th 2025 - 30th LACEA Annual Meeting  - Brazil