Andres Velasco

In 2017-19 he was a member of the G20 Eminent Persons Group. During 2015-16 he co-chaired the Global Panel on the Future of the Multilateral Lending Institutions. In 2013-16 he was a member of the Global Oceans Commission.

Mr. Velasco ran for the presidency of Chile in the June 2013 primaries. He also was the Minister of Finance of Chile between March 2006 and March 2010. During his tenure he was recognized as Latin American Finance Minister of the Year by several international publications. His work to save Chile’s copper windfall and create a rainy-day fund was highlighted in the Financial Times, the Economist, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, among many others.

In 2013-17 Mr. Velasco served as Professor of Professional Practice in International Development at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. In 2000-06 he was Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School. Earlier he was Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at New York University.

He received a B.A. in economics and philosophy and an M.A. in international relations from Yale University. He also holds a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University and was a postdoctoral fellow in political economy at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He is the author of nearly one hundred academic articles, several academic books and two novels. He was president of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA) from 2005 to 2007. In February 2006 he received the Award for Excellence in Research from the Inter-American Development Bank.

He has served as a consultant to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and to governments, central banks and private businesses around the world. He has served on corporate boards and international advisory boards for several international firms.

He is married to Consuelo Saavedra, a journalist and anchorwoman. They have three children: Rosa, Ema and Gaspar.

Andres Velasco Honors and Awards

• Inter-American Development Bank Award for Excellence in Economic Research, 2006.
• International Research Fellow, Kiel Institute for World Economics, 2005-09.
• National Science Foundation Research Award, 2001-04.
• Research Associate, NBER, 1998-present.
• C.V. Starr Center Faculty Research Grant, 1995-2000.
• Andes Foundation Research Grant, 1997.
• Faculty Research Fellow, NBER, 1994-1998.
• Harvard-MIT Fellowship in Positive Political Economy, 1994-95.
• Institute for Policy Reform Junior Research Fellow, 1993-94.