Brain Gain and Brain Drain

Rafael Portillo joined the JVI’s faculty as a Senior Economist in January. He was previously a Senior Economist at the IMF, having worked there since 2005 in the Western Hemisphere, Monetary and Capital Markets, African and, most recently, Research departments. His work has focused on macroeconomic modeling and monetary policy issues, through surveillance, research and technical assistance. Rafael has contributed to several IMF policy papers and (co-)authored a large number of working papers and academic publications. He received his PhD in Economics in 2006 from the University of Michigan and holds degrees from the Université Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) and the Université Paris IX (Dauphine). He is a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English and French.

Rafael replaced Luis Catão who returned to the IMF’s Research Department in December. Luis had this to say about his two-year-stint at the JVI: “After more than 15 years at the IMF, teaching courses at the JVI was personally rewarding as one can sense how such courses can make a difference in the career of so many government officials and ultimately contribute to better governance of their countries. And if you can combine this work with a good Viennese cup of coffee, it seems difficult to ask for more.”