I am a Senior Fellow in the Department of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Penn Initiative for the Study of Markets (PISM). I am also the founder of the Venezuelan Finance Observatory and served as a Congressman in Venezuela’s IV National Assembly, elected in 2015. I earned my Ph.D. in Economics from Andrés Bello Catholic University. My current research focuses on informal empires in Latin America, mercantilism, fiscal rules in fragile states, petrostates, and the economic history of Latin America.

I held several positions in the Sucre Municipality in East Caracas, including Chief of Staff and General Secretary of Public Safety. I implemented the «HotSpots» program, which reduced violence by 42.5%. This program was groundbreaking in Latin America as it utilized spatial statistics to analyze crime concentration and facilitate focused patrolling.

In 2015, I was elected as a Congressman for the IV National Assembly of Venezuela, representing Petare, the largest favela in South America. I received the highest historical vote in my electoral circuit. Following my election, I became a member of the Permanent Commission on Finance and Economic Development in parliament, where I took on the role of economic spokesperson.

During my time in parliament, I focused on defending wages and combating hyperinflation, which has devastated Venezuelans’ incomes since 2017. This effort led me to establish the Venezuelan Finance Observatory to rigorously monitor key macroeconomic variables: inflation, GDP, and wages.

In 2017, in response to the hyperinflation that led to hunger in Petare, I founded Alimenta La Solidaridad Petare. This community organization aims to support children facing food insecurity and empower women to address the challenges posed by economic collapse.

My CV is available HERE.