Joaquín Vial

Residency: Oct. 31 – Nov. 8, 2013

Public Talk: Oct. 8, 2013 on “Macroeconomic Challenges in Latin America to 2020”

Research Interests

• Fiscal and Macroeconomic Policies
• Competitiveness in Latin American Economies

Biography

Joaquín Vial is a member of the Board of the Central Bank of Chile and was appointed in 2012. He holds a Bachelor’s degree, has a Master’s degree in economics from the Universidad de Chile and a PhD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania (1988). Before his appointment, Vial was with the Research Department of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, BBVA, where he was Head Economist for South America (2008-2011), Head of Global Trends Unit (2006-2008) and Head Economist for Chile (2004-2006).

Between the years of 2000 and 2003, he was in charge of the Andean Competitiveness Project at Harvard University’s Center for International Development (through June 2002) and subsequently at Columbia University (June 2002 – November 2003).

Previously, he was Head of Chile’s National Budget Office (1997-2000), Executive Director of the Latin American Research Corporation CIEPLAN (1994-1996) and Macroeconomic Policy Coordinator in the Ministry of Finance (1992- 1994). He has also been a consultant to multilateral organizations such as the World Bank and the IADB, and to governments and private corporations.

Between 2009 and 2011 he was Chairman of the Board of the pension fund management institution AFP Provida.

Vial has been a lecturer and researcher at Universidad de Chile, Universidad de Santiago and Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. He has authored a number of academic papers on the copper market, fiscal and macroeconomic policies, and competitiveness in Latin American economies.