Macroeconomic Stability and Long-Term Growth: Lessons from Jordan

Harvard Center for International Development

On this week's Speaker Series podcast, we are joined by Miguel Angel Santos, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Director of Applied Research at CID's Growth Lab, as well as Tim O’Brien, Senior Manager of Applied Research at CID's Growth Lab. Miguel and Tim sat down with CID Student Ambassador Valeria Mendiola to discuss their research from Jordan on Macroeconomic Stability and Long-Term Growth. ABOUT THE TALK From February 2018 through September 2019, the Growth Lab conducted an applied research project in Jordan centered on understanding and addressing the country’s macroeconomic disequilibria and identifying the most binding constraints to economic growth. The project team applied growth diagnostic and economic complexity methodologies in coordination with the Government of Jordan and developed over 40 problem-specific research deliverables to support government policymaking and implementation. The project, which was supported through a grant from the Open Society Foundations, helped to inform Jordan’s overall growth strategy under Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, improve policy direction in several areas (fiscal, labor markets, energy, investment promotion), and harmonize donor programming in Jordan (including by the IMF, World Bank, USAID, DFID and EBRD). During this event, team members will present key findings on the Jordanian economy, discuss innovations in applying growth diagnostic and economic complexity applications that emerged from the project, and reflect on challenges and lessons learned from this applied research effort. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Miguel Angel Santos is an Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and the Director of Applied Research at the Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard University. At CID, he has been involved in various research projects aimed at helping governments to rethink their development strategies, both at the national and sub-national levels. Since he joined CID in August 2014, he has been involved in projects at the national level in Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela, and at the sub-national level in Mexico in the states of Chiapas, Baja California, Tabasco and Campeche; and the city of Hermosillo at Sonora state. He has also performed as project manager in the projects leading to the build-up of the Mexican Atlas of Economic Complexity, and the Peruvian Atlas of Economic Complexity. Tim O’Brien joined CID in 2015 and has worked on both Growth Lab and Building State Capability projects. He is currently the Senior Manager of Applied Research at CID's Growth Lab. He has led growth diagnostic research in Albania and Sri Lanka. Tim served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi from 2008-2010 and has experience working with the World Bank and in environmental engineering. Tim’s research interests center on the challenges of economic transformation and adapting to climate change in developing countries and vulnerable communities.