Researchers

Laura Alfaro is the Chief Economist and Economic Counselor of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). She started in this role on June 1, 2025, after taking a leave from Harvard Business School, where she is the Warren Alpert Professor of Business Administration. 

She served as Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2012. She is Co-Editor of the Journal of International Economics and the World Bank Research Observer, Vice-President of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA), and Faculty Research Associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) and the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Ms. Alfaro has authored numerous articles on international economics, capital flows, foreign direct investment (FDI), sovereign debt, and trade. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where she received the Dissertation Fellowship award. She received a B.A. degree in economics from the Universidad de Costa Rica and a 'Licenciatura' from the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile. Ms. Laura Alfaro is a citizen of Costa Rica and the United States.