Hello! I'm Paula, a PhD candidate in economics at Colorado State University. I use panel and time-series econometric methods to study how international financial flows shape exposure to financial crises in the global south, paying particular attention to how developing economies are structurally positioned within the global financial system.

My job market paper examines how central bank reserve accumulation relates to the balance sheets of domestic banks across 27 small island developing states. I find that reserve accumulation coincides with an expansion of banks' cross-border positions and domestic credit, and that this relationship differs across types of economies, including pegged and floating exchange rate regimes, tourism-dependent economies, and tax havens.

Looking ahead, I'm increasingly interested in the flip side of this question: how finance can be redirected toward development? And can countries better insulate themselves from the volatility and constraints imposed by their position in the global financial system?

Primary fields: International Macroeconomics and Finance, Development Economics, Political Economy

Secondary fields: History of Economic Thought