PhD in Economics, Stanford University (1994). M.Sc. Mathematical Economics and Econometrics by the London School of Economics. He is currently Professor of the Department of Economics and Business at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and researcher at ICREA. He is a professor affiliated with the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and associate researcher at CREI. At the Barcelona GSE, he is director of the MSc in Economics program, jointly organized with the Department of Economics and Business of the UPF, and is a member of the management committee of the MSc in International Trade, Finance, and Development. He is Research Fellow and Director of Economic Growth and Fluctuations Program at the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). He is editor of The Economic Journal among other prestigious academic journals.

 Macroeconomics, trade, productivity, violent conflicts and democratic changes, intersectoral resource allocation, human capital and growth.