Uniting
Research and Policy

Mariana Laverde, PhD '20, does empirical research on the educational institutions influencing minorities' opportunities in urban contexts. Laverde is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Tobin Center for Economic Policy at Yale University, where she focuses her research on early childhood investments, pre-k programs, and school choice. In the summer of 2021, she will join the Economics Department at Boston College as an Assistant Professor. She is also a member of the Inequality: Measurement, Interpretation, and Policy network at the University of Chicago's Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group.

While at Harris Public Policy, her research focused exploring the consequences of segregation– by race, skill, and religious affiliation– on the choices and outcomes of minorities and disadvantaged populations. Other research focused on understanding how civilian and insurgent strategies vary as economic conditions change during civil conflict and how these strategies ultimately shape the types of violence used by insurgents. 

Prior to her doctoral studies, Laverde worked as an economist at Colombia’s Central Bank and as a research assistant at the Centro de Estudios sobre Desarrollo Economico (CEDE), a center affiliated with the Universidad de los Andes, where she earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in economics. Mariana has taught microeconomics, game theory, and mathematical economics both at Universidad de los Andes and at the University of Chicago. 

Personal Website