About me
Hi there,
I’m a development economist driven by a passion for turning data into impactful insights. For over eight years, I’ve honed my skills in evaluating socio-economic policies, generating high-quality survey data, and creating compelling reports and interactive dashboards that inform stakeholders.
I specialize in applied econometrics, statistical methods, and data science, predominantly using Python and Stata. I also leverage R, ODK (SurveyCTO, KoboToolbox), QGIS, Power BI, and other software when the situation calls for it.
My professional journey has taken me across three continents. I collaborated with international organizations, government ministries, research institutions, and private companies on various themes including labor, rural development, environmental economics, technology, women’s empowerment, public financial management, and health economics, among others.
Take a look at my resume for details about my experience, publications, and contributions, and dive into my blog to learn more about my work! You can also check out my GitHub for repos showcasing my publicly available projects.
Have a research question, consulting opportunity, or collaboration idea? I’d love to hear from you! Reach out via email or LinkedIn. I’m especially passionate about labor, rural development, and my newest interest—wildlife conservation.
Stuff I did
Evaluating the impact of a rural development program in Guyana
In 2017, the government of Guyana launched a rural development program aimed at bridging the gap between indigenous villages and the rest of the country. To analyse the effectiveness of this initiative, I conducted a quasi-experimental impact evaluation. Stay tuned for more insights in an upcoming blog post.
Building capacity in Zambia while promoting the SDGs
Technology is driving positive changes but also causing disruptions. Developing countries, reliant on technology imports, face unique challenges in integrating these innovations. Technology assessment (TA) is a crucial tool for informed adoption decisions. Explore my work with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where we built capacity on TA to guide biogas adoption in Zambia.
Generating primary data to assess Ethiopia’s Homegrown Economic Reforms
To tackle an array of macroeconomic challenges, Ethiopia launched the so-called Homegrown Economic Reforms in 2019. At Laterite, I managed data collection for an Urban High-Frequency Survey covering 3,000 households across Addis Ababa and other cities. Curious about the impact? Check out the final World Bank report.
Simulating the economic effects of a US-China trade war
What is the relationship between trade openness and economic growth? To answer this, my co-author and I modeled the effects of increased US tariffs on Chinese imports. Our results indicate that reduced openness to trade temporarily lowers US output due to inflation and decreased imports, with only a modest impact on the overall trade balance. Read more in the NiGEM Observation.
Stuff I wrote
Don’t miss out! Fresh blog content is on its way!
Matteo Ramina 