Ricardo Hausmann

Ricardo Hausmann is the kind of thinker who makes you see the world—and its possibilities—in a whole new way. A celebrated economist, he has spent his career tackling big, complex questions about how countries grow, why some prosper while others stagnate, and how we can all do better.

Renowned for his expertise in economics, geopolitics, and international political economy; Ricardo Hausmann is the founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab and the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School. In his role, Hausmann transformed the Growth Lab into a pivotal global research hub for economic growth and development.

His influential scholarly contributions, including the development of Growth Diagnostics and Economic Complexity methodologies, have significantly shaped modern economic practices. Widely recognised concepts such as Dark Matter, Original Sin, and Self-Discovery further underscore his impact on the field.

Since the inception of the Growth Lab in 2006, Ricardo Hausmann has spearheaded over 50 research initiatives across more than 30 countries, providing valuable insights into development policy, growth strategies, and diversification agendas globally.

Prior to his tenure at Harvard, Hausmann served as the first Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank (1994-2000), Venezuela’s Minister of Planning (1992-1993), a board member of the Central Bank of Venezuela, and Chair of the IMF-World Bank Development Committee. These roles gave him a firsthand understanding of the intricate dynamics of economies, from resource wealth to innovation gaps, and inspired his groundbreaking work on economic complexity—a theory that explains how the diversity of knowledge within a society shapes its prosperity.

As a professor at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA) in Caracas, he founded the Center for Public Policy. Richardo Hausmann earned his PhD in economics from Cornell University.