About RIDGE

Background

The Research Institute for Development, Growth and Economics (RIDGE) aims to favor the development and the spread of high quality research in economics and to promote top postgraduate education, with particular emphasis on economic development, international economics and economic growth. It also aims to promote the development of new views on economic thinking from the perspective of developing countries.

RIDGE was born on the initiative of the International Economic Association (IEA) and has the support of the Ministry of Economics and Finance of Uruguay.

RIDGE executive secretary

Omar Licandro

Read more about RIDGE

RIDGE stands for the promotion of economic research in general, with particular emphasis on economic development, international economics and economic growth. It is conceived as an international research center of excellence in economics working in close relation with the most prominent economists worldwide. Its location in a developing country will doubtless favor the emergence of a research agenda centered on critical development issues. In the long term, RIDGE is expected to help the profession to reshape research priorities and foster new research perspectives in the study of development problems. The project is very ambitious, meaning that RIDGE hopes to quickly gain global prominence as a research institution in economics and economic development, its research being published in the most prestigious journals in economics.

The originality of RIDGE resides precisely in being a research institute where relevant issues will call for new advances in economics pursued jointly by general theorists, applied economists, field specialists and policy makers. In this sense, RIDGE aims to promote the debate on economic issues of high social impact and/or those of relevance for economic policy. For this reason, RIDGE is intended to have a close relation and contribute to the work of research departments of national, regional and international institutions as well as thinktanks located in Latin America and all around the globe. Even if RIDGE were mainly concerned with research issues of high relevance for developing countries, there would be room for general (pure or applied) economists.

Despite research being its focus, RIDGE will also run postgraduate education in economics to cover the increasing need of good professionals prepared to deal with development issues in public and private international and national institutions, particularly in developing countries. In this sense, RIDGE will organize, in coordination with local and regional master programs, top-level courses for students already registered in these programs. RIDGE will also provide technical courses for professionals working in public and private international and national institutions.

RIDGE intends to involve universities and research centers from the region, particularly from South America. Internationally reputable researchers visiting RIDGE are expected to give seminars in some of these universities. It is also expected that researchers from these institutions become RIDGE fellows and regularly participate in RIDGE activities.

Enrique Iglesias

RIDGE Honorary President

Professor Joseph Stiglitz

RIDGE Chairman

Azucena Arbeleche

Minister of Economy and Finance, Uruguay

Professor Elhanan Helpman

President of the IEA

Professor Ana Balsa

RIDGE Secretary

Raquel Fernández

RIDGE Board member

Claudio Ferraz

RIDGE Board member

Paulina Restrepo

RIDGE Board member

Sergio Urzúa

RIDGE Board member

Professor Omar Licandro

RIDGE Executive Secretary

Associate Institutions