Leopoldo Fergusson

¿Qué hago?

I am an economist working on political economy and development economics, which often draw me into economic history. Key topics that I study include: the relation between (political and economic) institutions and economic performance; mass media effects in politics and economics; the political roots and consequences of violence and state weakness; electoral fraud and clientelism; and fiscal theory and policy issues, especially political economy.

Áreas de interés

• Economía Política
• Desarrollo Económico
• Historia Económica

Publicaciones destacadas

Population and Conflict, with Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, NBER Working Paper 23322 (Review of Economic Studies)

The Perils of High-Powered Incentives: Evidence from Colombia’s False Positives, with Daron Acemoglu, James Robinson, Darío Romero, and Juan Fernando Vargas, NBER Working Paper 22617 (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy)

The Real Winner’s Curse, with Pablo Querubín, Nelson Ruiz, and Juan Fernando Vargas, Documento Cede 2017-5 (American Journal of Political Science)

Conflict, Educational Attainment and Structural Transformation: La Violencia in Colombia, with Ana María Ibáñez and Juan Felipe Riaño. Economic Development and

Cultural Change

Who wants violence? The political economy of conflict and state building in Colombia, Cuadernos de Economía, 30(Spe78):671–700

Consumers as VAT “Evaders”: Incidence, Social Bias, and Correlates in Colombia, with Carlos A. Molina and Juan F. Riaño, Economía, 19(2):21–67.

I Sell my Vote, and so What? Incidence, Social Bias and Correlates of Clientelism in Colombia, with Carlos A. Molina and Juan F. Riaño, Economía,19(1): 181–218.

The Crime Kuznets Curve, with Paolo Buonanno and Juan F. Vargas, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 33(4): 753–782.

The Need for Enemies, with James Robinson, Ragnar Torvik, and Juan Fernando Vargas, The Economic Journal, 126(593): 1018–1054.

He Who Counts Elects: Economic Elites, Political Elites, and Electoral Fraud, with Isaías Chaves and James Robinson, Economics and Politics, 27(1): 124–159

Media Markets, Special Interests, and Voters, Journal of Public Economics, 109 (C): 13–26

The Political Economy of Rural Property Rights and the Persistence of the Dual Economy, Journal of Development Economics, 103 (C): 167–181

Institutions for Financial Development: What are They and Where do They Come From? Journal of Economic Surveys, 20(1): 27–70

Impuestos, Crecimiento Económico y Bienestar en Colombia (1970-1999) (Taxation, Welfare and Growth in Colombia (1970-1999)), Desarrollo y Sociedad, 52: 145–204

‘Dollar’ Debt in Colombian Firms: Are Sinners Punished During Devaluations?, with Juan Carlos Echeverry, Roberto Steiner and Camila Aguilar, Emerging Markets Review, 4(4): 417–449

Books

Economía Política de la Política Económica, (Political Economy of Economic Policy) with Pablo Querubín, Ediciones Uniandes

Política Fiscal: Un Enfoque de Tributación Optima, (Fiscal Policy: An Optimal Taxation Approach) with Gustavo Suárez, Bogotá, Ediciones Uniandes

¿Quién Manda Sobre las Cuentas Públicas? (Who Decides on Public Expenditures?) with Juan Carlos Echeverry with Jorge Alexander Bonilla, Andrés Clavijo, Andrés Moya, Verónica Navas and Pablo Querubín, Bogotá, Ediciones Uniandes

Book Chapters

Politics and reconciliation: A critical juncture for state building, with Francisco Eslava and Andrés Moya, Documento Cede 2017-68. In: Colombia in Motion 2010 - 2013 - 2016, Bogotá, Ediciones Uniandes

Política y Reconciliación: Una conyuntura crítica para la construcción de Estado, with Francisco Eslava and Andrés Moya, Documento Cede 2017-68. In: Colombia en Movimento 2010 - 2013 - 2016, Bogotá, Ediciones Uniandes

La política colombiana a la luz de la Elca: entre el desinterés y el clientelismo (Colombian Politics in the Elca: Clientelism and Disengagement), with Juan Felipe Riaño. In Cadena, Ximena (comp), Colombia en Movimiento 2010 - 2013, Bogotá, Ediciones Uniandes

Working papers

Political Competition and State Capacity: Evidence from a Land Allocation Program in Mexico, with Horacio Larreguy and Juan Felipe Riaño, Cede Working Paper 2020-16 (Earlier versions as CAF Working Paper 2015-03 and Lacea Working Paper 2018-0011)

The perils of misusing remote sensing data. The case of forest cover, with Santiago Saavedra and Juan F. Vargas, Cede Working Paper 2020-15

The Weak State Trap, with Carlos Molina and James A. Robinson, NBER Working Paper No. 26848, 2020

Facebook Causes Protests, with Carlos Molina, Cede Working Paper 2019-41