Uruguayan academic economist who is currently the World Bank Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean.[1] He is also the Fred H. Sanderson Professor of International Economics at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he is on leave, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He was previously a Professor of Economics and Vice-Chair of Undergraduate Studies at UCLA. His research work on monetary and fiscal policy in emerging and developing countries has been highly influential and is regularly featured in the international financial press.