Elizabeth Jaramillo-Rojas
I am an economist working at the Inter-American Development Bank on the Knowledge Team of the Education Division. I hold a Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University.
My research focuses on the economics of education and the economics of crime and violence prevention, with a particular interest in how public policy can improve the lives of the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean. I study the impact of education, social, and drug policies on schooling, crime, and local economic activity, using randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental methods.
I also work on the design and evaluation of artificial intelligence tools for education and violence prevention in the public sector. Alongside my research, I work with governments across the region on the design and implementation of public programs.
I hold a MSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from Tilburg University, and a MA in Economics, a BSc in Industrial Engineering, and a BA in Economics from Universidad de los Andes.
You can contact me at ejaramillo@u.northwestern.edu, and find my CV here.
Working Papers
Beyond Recipients: Sibling Spillovers of College Financial Aid (with
Fabio Sanchez)
[SSRN] [Abstract]
This paper studies the spillover effects of college financial aid on younger siblings. We exploit the eligibility rules of Ser Pilo Paga (SPP), a large-scale merit- and need-based scholarship program in Colombia, to estimate how having a college-going older sibling affects younger siblings' educational, labor market, and criminal outcomes. When an older sibling qualifies for SPP, younger siblings are more likely to enroll in higher education and in higher-quality institutions, experience temporary declines in formal employment consistent with increased educational investment, and are less likely to be convicted of a crime. The probability that younger siblings themselves qualify for an SPP scholarship rises by 42 percent. Younger siblings of students who narrowly missed the eligibility threshold, and whose families therefore received no financial transfer from the program, also show significant gains in enrollment and reductions in criminal convictions. This pattern is consistent with aspirational and motivational spillovers that operate independently of household resource relief. Spillover effects on enrollment and test scores emerge only when the older sibling performs well in college, are largest in first-generation college families and among siblings close in age, and are present in standardized test scores as early as age eight or nine. The evidence points to aspirations, motivation, and revised beliefs about the returns to education as the primary channels through which college access for one child reshapes the trajectories of others in the same household.
Drug Eradication, Agriculture, and the Formal Economy: Spillovers from Coca Fumigation [Draft available soon] [Abstract]
There is a large proliferation of illegal activities in most countries, which likely has deep economic implications. This paper evaluates the interaction between illegal activities and the formal economy. To do this, I take advantage of one of the largest anti-drug actions in a drug producing country: Colombia's Drug Eradication Program (DEP). The program began in 1994, but in 1999, it saw a significant escalation when aerial spraying of industrial coca crops became the cornerstone of Plan Colombia. Importantly, before 2003, a decree exempted peasants with no more than three hectares from being sprayed, as aerial fumigations were justified as only targeting commercial plantations. My analysis yields three main results. First, I find that coca cultivation decreases by 63 percent in commercial plantations. Second, I show the presence of spillover effects resulting from the DEP. I use a difference-in-differences design leveraging time variation (before and after the start of Plan Colombia in 1999) and spatial variation by comparing municipalities suitable for coca cultivation with less suitable ones. Compared to the control group, suitable areas (outside of commercial plantations) saw an average increase of 21 hectares of coca cultivation per 1,000 hectares of agricultural land. Third, I then ask how anti-drug actions in key coca hubs leads to an increase in coca in other suitable municipalities. I find that one of the mechanisms behind this shift is consistent with internal migration. I also show that when demand for illicit crops increases, tax revenue from commerce and industry decreases by 10.2 percent.
A Dynamic Analysis of Teachers' Allocation Mechanisms (with
Gregory Elacqua, Paula Jaramillo, and Çağatay Kayı)
[Draft available soon]
Work in Progress
Scalable Mentoring for Teachers: Evidence from an AI Intervention
(with Gregory Elacqua, Ana Teresa del Toro, and Catalina Hermosilla)
[Registered in the AEA RCT Registry, unique identifying number: AEARCTR-0017934]
Expanding College Access and the Opportunity Costs of Criminal Engagement
(with Ervyn Norza)
Technical High Schools, Labor Market Outcomes, and Crime: Evidence from Brazil
(with Gregory Elacqua and Maria Fernanda Prada)
Hidden Strengths: Adversity, Adaptation, and the Measurement of Skills
(with Alejandra Campos-Quintero)
Technical and Vocational Education and Criminal Involvement: Evidence from Colombia’s Dual Certification Program
(with Fabio Sanchez, Maria Fernanda Prada, and Gregory Elacqua)
The Effect of Maternity Leave Policies on Local Labor Market Outcomes
(with Karla Hernandez)
An Early Warning System for Teachers: AI-Powered Dropout Prevention at Scale in Guatemala
(with Gregory Elacqua, Raquel Fernandez, and Ana Teresa del Toro)
Teaching
Teaching Assistant, Northwestern University
Economics of Gender — Winter 2025, Winter 2024, Fall 2024
Labor Economics — Spring 2024, Fall 2022
Introduction to Microeconomics — Winter 2023, Spring 2022, Winter 2022, Fall 2021
Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award, Northwestern University 2024 and 2025
→ Download Teaching Evaluations (PDF)
Teaching Assistant, Universidad de Los Andes
Intermediate Econometrics — January 2014 – December 2014
