Ernesto joined the World Bank Group in June 2016. His work has focused on SME-support policies, entrepreneurship, international trade, and private sector development more broadly. Prior to joining the WBG, Ernesto worked at the Mexican Ministry of Finance, where he served as Head of the Economic Productivity Unit and as Technical Secretary of Mexico’s National Productivity Council, working closely with private sector organizations and other public agencies in the design and implementation of public policies aimed at raising productivity in an inclusive manner. He served as first co-chair of the OECD’s Global Forum on Productivity. Earlier in his career, he was Lead Country Economist for Mexico at the Inter-American Development Bank; Program Manager at the WBG’s Enterprise Analysis Unit; and Director for Market Access Negotiations at Mexico’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from UC Berkeley, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from MIT. He has written about the business environment and its impact on firm performance; entrepreneurial ecosystems; the social and economic impact of trade liberalization; and the development implications of international remittances; among other topics.

Selected publications:

Mexico: Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Diagnostic

Policies to Support Businesses through the COVID-19 Shock: A Firm-Level Perspective

Assessing Ukraine's Role in European Value Chains: A Gravity Equation-cum-Economic Complexity Analysis Approach 

Remittances and Banking Sector Breadth and Depth: Evidence from Mexico

NAFTA and Manufacturing Productivity in Mexico

Exchange-Rate Regimes and International Trade: Evidence from The Classical Gold Standard Era

Ernesto joined the World Bank Group in June 2016. His work has focused on SME-support policies, entrepreneurship, international trade, and private sector development more broadly. Prior to joining the WBG, Ernesto worked at the Mexican Ministry of Finance, where he served as Head of the Economic Productivity Unit and as Technical Secretary of Mexico’s National Productivity Council, working closely with private sector organizations and other public agencies in the design and implementation of public policies aimed at raising productivity in an inclusive manner. He served as first co-chair of the OECD’s Global Forum on Productivity. Earlier in his career, he was Lead Country Economist for Mexico at the Inter-American Development Bank; Program Manager at the WBG’s Enterprise Analysis Unit; and Director for Market Access Negotiations at Mexico’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from UC Berkeley, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from MIT. He has written about the business environment and its impact on firm performance; entrepreneurial ecosystems; the social and economic impact of trade liberalization; and the development implications of international remittances; among other topics.

Selected publications:

Mexico: Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Diagnostic

Policies to Support Businesses through the COVID-19 Shock: A Firm-Level Perspective

Assessing Ukraine's Role in European Value Chains: A Gravity Equation-cum-Economic Complexity Analysis Approach 

Remittances and Banking Sector Breadth and Depth: Evidence from Mexico

NAFTA and Manufacturing Productivity in Mexico

Exchange-Rate Regimes and International Trade: Evidence from The Classical Gold Standard Era