Miguel Angel Santos

Director, The Growth Co-Lab at LSE

School of Public Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science

I joined the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2021 as Visiting Professor in Practice and Director of the Growth Co-Lab, a joint LSE-Harvard venture aimed at bringing together the capacities, expertise, and reach of two top academic institutions to expand the activities of the Harvard Growth Lab globally.

Previously, I worked as Director of Applied Research at the Harvard Growth Lab, leading teams in policy engagements aimed at developing top notch research to help governments rethink their growth and development strategies. In these eight years at the Harvard Growth Lab, I was directly involved in projects at the national level in Mexico, Peru, Panama, Venezuela, Jordan, Albania, and Namibia; at the state level in Loreto (Peru) and Chiapas (Mexico); and at the city level in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Hermosillo (Mexico). I also performed as Adjunct Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and as a Visiting Lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, teaching courses in Empirical Methods, Development Economics, Economic Growth and Development, and Policy Development Strategy to graduate students in public policy and public administration over the same period.

Before joining the field of development economics, I worked for a decade on executive roles in corporate finance and business development in Latin America for a decade, performing as Director of Finance for the Cisneros Group of Companies (1997-2003), Head of Corporate Finance for Mercantil Servicios Financieros (2005-2007), and Business Vice-President for Sony Pictures and Entertainment Latin America (2008-2009).

I hold two Master of Science degrees in International Finance and Trade (2011) and Economics (2012) from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University (2014), and a Ph.D. in Economics at Universidad de Barcelona (2016).

Academic and Research Appointments

  • Jan 2022- Present

    Director, The Growth Co-Lab at LSE
    School of Public Policy
    London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Spring - 2020

    Visiting Lecturer
    Harris School of Public Policy
    University of Chicago
  • 2014 - 2019

    Senior Research Fellow
    Center for International Development
    Harvard University
  • 1997 - Present

    Adjunct Professor
    Center of Finance
    IESA
  • 2003 - 2007

    Aggregate Professor
    Department of Economics
    Universidad Católica Andrés Bello
  • 1996

    Visiting Scholar
    University of Texas at Austin
  • 2019 - Present

    Director for Applied Research
    Growth Lab, Center for International
    Harvard University

Education

  • 2016

    Ph.D. in Economics
    Universidad de Barcelona
  • 2014

    Master in Public Administration (MPA)
    Harvard University
    Kennedy School of Government
  • 2012

    Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Economics and Finance
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra
  • 2011

    Master of Science (M.Sc.) in International Trade and Finance
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra
  • 2004

    Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
    The CFA Institute
  • 1997

    Master of Science in Economics (Latin America)
    Queen Mary College
    University of London
  • 1995

    Master in Business Administration (MBA)
    IESA
  • 1993

    Bachelor in Business Administration
    Universidad Tecnológica del Centro

Professional Experience

  • 2012

    Head of the Macroeconomic Policy Team
    Presidential Candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski
    Venezuela
  • 2008 - 2009

    Senior Vice-President for Business Development
    Sony Pictures & Entertainment Latin America
  • 2004 - 2007

    Head of Corporate Finance
    Mercantil Servicios Financieros
  • 1997 - 2003

    Director of Finance
    Telecom Division
    Cisneros Group of Companies