Harvard's Growth Lab

The Growth Lab has released a new series of reports that assess ’s deep economic challenges and provide a detailed recovery plan.

These reports are the result of a 15-month applied research project that involved intensive consultations with government officials, international organizations, business and community leaders, and academic experts in Bolivia.

🔍 Bolivia’s macroeconomic collapse is the most visible symptom of a much deeper crisis. The country’s challenges stem from a broader institutional breakdown that weakened private investment, export capacity, and productivity growth across the economy.

📉 As a result, natural gas production collapsed, no new large-scale mines have opened since 2014, agricultural yields remain among the region’s lowest, and tourism destinations lack basic infrastructure.

We suggest a strategy in 5 pillars:

1. A growth-supporting fiscal consolidation primarily based on finalizing the reform of energy subsidies.

2. An improved social protection net shielding the most vulnerable.

3. Monetary and external stability with IMF support, allowing the country to rebuild foreign currency reserves and restore monetary credibility.

4. Sectoral Reforms allowing strategic industries to thrive, including hydrocarbons, mining, lithium, agriculture, and tourism.

5. Institutions enabling the development of new productive capabilities, developing over time the hard and soft infrastructure needed to diversify Bolivia's economy over time.

In addition to a summary report, there are six papers covering various policy sectors. All of this research is available in English and Spanish:

EN: https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/project/bolivias-economic-pivot/

ES: https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/project/un-giro-economico-para-bolivia/

Research team: Ricardo Hausmann, Clement Brenot, Lucila Venturi, Lucas Lamby, Taimur Shah, Fernando José García, Ana Isabel Abad, Guillermo Arcay, Tim Freeman, Ricardo Benzecry Mancin, Martina Cometti, Lili Vessereau, Eric Protzer, Jose Ignacio Hernandez Gonzalez, Juan Jimenez, and Alejandro Werner. Marcelo Claure

Ricardo Hausmann on Venezuela for The Economist:

“Prosperity does not come from oil, decrees, or even benevolent rulers. It comes from rights. Rights create private property. Rights create security. Rights create debate. Rights allow people to invest, to innovate, to dream—and to transform reality. Take rights away, and society withers. Restore them, and recovery is possible.”

Peace and prosperity in Venezuela will come from democracy, not oil, writes Ricardo Hausmann Wishing otherwise, as Donald Trump does, is delusional

Did you know that 70% of Amazonia’s population now lives in cities? Urban areas can drive sustainable development and protect the biome through stronger governance and planning.

Download the latest
Inter-American Development Bank report:
https://publications.iadb.org/en/cities-amazonia-people-and-nature-harmony

In ch. 4, our senior research manager, Timothy Cheston, shares insights from our research engagements in Loreto, Peru, and Caquetá, Guaviare, and Putumayo, Colombia.

https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/project/loreto-peru/

https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/project/environmental-sustainability-colombia-amazon/

Cities in Amazonia: People and Nature in Harmony The publication sheds light on the ongoing urbanization in Amazonia and emphasizes the need for urgent action to guide it towards sustainability, improving both forest protection and the well-being of its residents. It highlights critical topics such as environment and climate, infrastructure and pr...

📢 Join us next week for the launch of our next-gen Greenplexity tool!

Green Growth by Design: The Science and Strategy of Greenplexity
- Discover how countries can unlock a green growth strategy and power the global energy transition.

🗓️ Wednesday, Nov. 5
🕥 10:30 - 11:45 AM EST
📍 Democracy Lab (R 414-AB) Harvard Kennedy School, and Zoom

Greenplexity enables policymakers and industry leaders to identify their nation’s most promising growth opportunities across ten value chains at the heart of the global energy transition, from batteries and electric vehicles to wind power and critical minerals.

Prof. Ricardo Hausmann will guide us through this data and strategy tool, also revealing the Greenplexity Index—the new scoreboard for the global energy transition. It shows which countries have the right mix of industries—and the right knowhow—to grow by supplying what the world needs to decarbonize.

RSVP: https://hksexeced.tfaforms.net/f/registration?e=a4oPp000001SXbZIAW

Summer intern Colin Jun is featured in Harvard Kennedy School's Student Stories.

Colin spent his summer in northeast India working for the Government Innovation Lab in the State Government of Meghalaya (SCEP Meghalaya). Colin developed a communications strategy for a project that strengthens multisectoral service delivery and builds Meghalaya’s capacity to improve the lives of children and teens.

Empowering youth and strengthening communities: Colin Jun MPP 2026’s summer in Meghalaya, India Each summer, Harvard Kennedy School students fan out across the globe, trading the classroom for real-world challenges to shape their understanding of policy and leadership as well as their future career paths. The Growth Lab is just one of the many organizations that offer these challenging opportu...

From Ricardo Hausmann in The New York Times:

When Argentines vote in midterm elections on Oct. 26, the main issue is simple: Do they want to stabilize their economy once and for all?

The country’s economic future depends on whether voters can muster the political will to back President Javier Milei’s original coalition and his reform program — or backtrack by empowering opposition parties that promise more spending and debt default.

Opinion | Trump Alone Can’t Save Argentina An American bailout can carry the country only so far.

For the past 3+ years, we've been leveraging our research frameworks and collaborating with local stakeholders (Wyoming Business Council) in Wyoming to improve outcomes in:

🏘️ housing
👷‍♀️ workforce access
💵 local spending
🔋 growth of energy opportunities

This Wyoming Tribune Eagle article touches on our analytical work and how we're helping to build capabilities to address these challenges.

https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/educational-programming-key-to-addressing-economic-development/article_6427dc05-8e96-4595-88b8-fe4d027c0d4c.html