Extended Bio

Carlos Scartascini holds a Ph.D. and a M.A. in Economics from George Mason University, and a Licenciatura en Economía from Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina. At George Mason, he was awarded the William Snavely Award for Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Studies in Economics. He currently holds a position as Principal Economist at the Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank.

At the Bank, he has led several projects that have policy implications such as his work on tax evasion in Argentine municipalities, on tax reform in Latin America, on the development of medium term fiscal frameworks and budgeting for results, on budget institutions, on policymaking in Latin America –including studies on the causes and determinants of institutionalization-, and the causes and impact of protests in policymaking, among many others.

Regarding academic production, some of his most recent publications in major academic journals include “The Making of Policy: Institutionalized or Not?” in the American Journal of Political Science, “The Politics of Financial Development: The Role of Interest Groups and Government Capabilities” in the Journal of Banking and Finance, and “Political Institutions and Street Protests in Latin America” in the Journal of Conflict Resolution. He has presented his work at more than eighty conferences and seminars.

Additionally, he is the co-editor of five books: Policymaking in Latin America: How Politics Shapes Policies (Harvard University Press, 2008), Who Decides the Budget? The Political Economy of the Budget Process in Latin America (Harvard University Press, 2009; also in Spanish from Mayol, 2010), Consecuencias imprevistas de la Constitución de 1991: La influencia de la política en las políticas económicas (Alfaomega, 2010), How Democracy Works. Political Institutions, Actors, and Arenas in Latin American Policymaking (Harvard University Press, 2010), and El juego político en América Latina. ¿Cómo se deciden las políticas públicas? (Mayol, 2011).