Ricardo Hausmann is the founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab and the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School. Under his leadership, the Growth Lab has grown into one of the most well-regarded and influential hubs for research on economic growth and development around the world.
His scholarly contributions have had a significant impact on the study and practice of development. These include the development of the Growth Diagnostics and Economic Complexity methodologies, as well as several widely used economic concepts, such as Dark Matter, Original Sin, and Self-discovery. His work has been published in some of the top journals in the world, including Science, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of International Economics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of International Money and Finance, Economic Policy, and the Journal of Economic Growth, among many others. These publications have been cited more than 47,000 times, and their main findings have been highlighted in mass media outlets such as The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
Since launching the Growth Lab in 2006, Hausmann has served as principal investigator for more than 50 research initiatives in nearly 30 countries, including the US, informing development policy, growth strategies, and diversification agendas at the national, regional, and city levels.
Before joining Harvard University, he served as the first Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank (1994-2000), where he created the Research Department. He has served as Minister of Planning of Venezuela (1992-1993) and as a member of the Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela. He also served as Chair of the IMF-World Bank Development Committee. He was Professor of Economics at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion (IESA) (1985-1991) in Caracas, where he founded the Center for Public Policy. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University.
Executive Education Programs
Strategies for Inclusive Growth
Leading Green Growth: Economic Strategies for a Low-Carbon World
Leading Economic Growth
Courses
Academic Journal/Scholarly Articles
Book Chapters
Research Papers/Reports
Reviews
Sponsored projects include research, training, convening, and other initiatives externally funded through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Funding sources can include the US federal government, state and local agencies, private foundations, corporations, and foreign entities (public and private).
The below list includes all sponsored projects in progress or completed within the current and past 2 calendar years, administered at the Harvard Kennedy School under the direction of the named faculty member as Principal Investigator. Please note that this list includes only those activities supported by external sponsored funding; other sources of support are not included (e.g., philanthropy, vlog or Harvard internal resources).
Project Title
Sponsor Name
Award Date
Transparent Engagement
Harvard Kennedy School is proud of its energetic involvement in the world. To better understand how to solve public problems by improving policy and leadership, we engage directly with policymakers, public leaders, governments, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses whose activities affect those problems. However, we recognize that such engagement can raise questions about perceived and potential conflicts of interest, so we disclose publicly the key professional activities of our faculty outside the Kennedy School. The activities disclosed below are for the most recent reporting period, as defined by University policy. Some may be paid, some may be unpaid, and others may be in exchange for expense reimbursement only.
Outside Professional Activities For Ricardo Hausmann
| Organization | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Criteria Caixa | Membership on a scientific or other advisory board |
| Santa Fe Institute | Membership on a scientific or other advisory board |
| Project Syndicate | Paid media appearance (may include written, audio, video, or other digital format) |
| World Economic Forum | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| Centre for European Policy Studies | Reimbursed travel |
| Centre for European Policy Studies | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| Concordia | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| Confederation of Indian Industry | Reimbursed travel |
| Confederation of Indian Industry | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| European Commission | Reimbursed travel |
| European Commission | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| HiCue | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| International Monetary Fund | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| Peterson Institute for International Economics | Reimbursed travel |
| Peterson Institute for International Economics | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| Santa Fe Institute | Reimbursed travel |
| Spain's Cabinet of the Minister of Economy, Commerce, and Business | Reimbursed travel |
| Spain's Cabinet of the Minister of Economy, Commerce, and Business | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| World Bank | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| World Investment Forum | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |