Professional Affiliation

Professor, Department of Economics, Graduate Institute of International Development Studies, Geneva

Expert Bio

Martina Viarengo is an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the Graduate Institute, Geneva. She is faculty associate at the Harvard’s Center for International Development and a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Women's Empowerment. Prior to joining the Graduate Institute's faculty, Professor Viarengo was an economist at the Centre for Economic Performance of the London School of Economics and a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Viarengo is a specialist in applied microeconomics and development. Her research focuses on international migration, comparative education policy and gender. In 2013 Dr Viarengo was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2009 Professor Viarengo was named Newton International Fellow by the British Academy, Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering. She holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and a Master’s Degree from Northwestern University

Wilson Center Project

“From Ellis Island to Silicon Valley: The Impact of Mass Migration on Entrepreneurialism, Innovation, Inequality and Economic Power”

Project Summary

The research project compares the two great American eras of mass migration—Ellis Island’s from mostly Southern and Eastern Europe and today’s from mostly Latin America. The purpose is to analyse their impact on entrepreneurialism, innovation and the economic structure and power of the United States today.  The study also draws a comparison with the current wave of mass migration into Europe

Major Publications

Pritchett L. and M. Viarengo (2015), “The State, Socialization and Private Schooling: When will Governments support Alternative Producers?”, forthcoming in the Journal of Development Studies

Martinez-Fritscher A., A. Musacchio and M. Viarengo (2014), “Colonial Institutions, Trade Shocks, and the Diffusion of Elementary Education in Brazil, 1889-1930”, Journal of Economic History, Vol. 74, No. 3, pp.730-766

Bandiera O., I. Rasul and M. Viarengo (2013), “The Making of Modern America: Migratory Flows in the Age of Mass Migration”, Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 102, May, pp. 23-47