Marcela Melendez | Chair
Marcela Meléndezis the UNDP Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University and is an Economist from Universidad de los Andes. Before joining UNDP in 2019, Marcela was, for 10 years, partner and director of Econestudio, a Colombian consulting and economic research firm recognized for her contributions to the public policy debate. Between 2010 and 2013, she co-directed the "Mission of Equity and Social Mobility" convened by the Colombian government and in 2017 she was appointed to an expert commission to carry out the expenditure and public investment review. Her research and consulting activities have focused on the design and evaluation of public policies, and on issues related to antitrust policy and the regulation of infrastructure services. Nowadays, from her position at UNDP, she leads the production of analytical content to support decision-making in the region.
Irma Clots-Figueras | Presenter
Irma Clots-Figueras is a Professor of Economics at the University of Kent and a co-director of DeReCK (Development Economics Research Centre at Kent). She was previously at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, and received her PhD from the London School of Economics in 2006. Her research interests include Development Economics, Labor Economics, Migration, Cultural Economics, and Political Economy. In 2019 she was awarded the Sabadell-Herrero Prize for the Best Young Spanish Economist.
Leandro Elia | Presenter
Leandro Elia is Associate Professor of Economics at Marche Polytechnic University. He obtained a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from University of Calabria in 2009 and a M.Sc. in Economics from Birkbeck, University of London in 2007. Previously, he worked as Research Economist at the European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre - Competence Centre on Microeconomic Evaluation (CC-ME). There he dealt with quantitative evaluation of EU policies across a wide range of fields to support policymaking.
Guillermo Kreiman | Presenter
Guillermo Kreiman is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Social Sciences of Carlos III University. Previously, he obtained a DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford and the MA in Social Sciences from the Carlos III-Juan March Institute. His research is particularly focused on the understanding of the dynamics of political violence and the politics of state capacity.
John Hoddinott | Presenter
John Hoddinott is the H.E. Babcock Professor of Food and Nutrition Economics and Policy, Cornell University and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute. His research focuses on the determinants and consequences of poverty, food insecurity and undernutrition. Born in Canada, he has a BA in Economics from the University of Toronto and a doctorate in economics from the University of Oxford.
Jesse Wood | Discussant
Jesse Wood is Chief of Emergencies and Transitions in WFP’s Policy and Programme Department. The unit is responsible for establishing the normative frameworks and operational standards for humanitarian, peace building and people centered programming in WFP. This includes protection and accountability to affected populations, conflict sensitivity, humanitarian principles and access, and HDP nexus programming. Jesse was most recently Deputy Head of Programme for WFP’s operations in South Sudan and previously held positions in the Regional Bureau for East and Central Africa and HQ. Before joining WFP Jesse worked for the Canadian Government on UN Reform, Multilateral Development Financing, and Indigenous Relations.
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