I am a Ph.D. candidate in Economics and a Graduate Part-time Instructor at Texas Tech University. My major is applied macroeconomics. My research interests include international, development, labor, monetary, financial, energy, and environmental economics, with the use of STATA, Matlab, R, and GTAP.
Here is my CVResearch
Working Papers
The spillover effects of U.S. uncertainty in Latin America
This paper examines the spillover effects of economic policy uncertainty and financial uncertainty shocks from the U.S. on Latin American economies. The structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model is employed to examine effects on Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile from 1994M1 to 2023M12. The results show that these U.S. uncertainty shocks negatively affect the output and stock prices for all countries while there are heterogeneous effects for the rest of the variables. Greater spillover effects are found in Mexico and Colombia while Argentina and Brazil experience greater decline in terms of their trade activities with the United States. This can be attributed to trade linkages and geographical factors between the U.S. and the Latin American countries. Nonetheless, overall, the U.S. uncertainty shocks depress real and financial activities. Specifically, financial uncertainty shock results in a sizable and more persistent negative effect on the top five economies in Latin America, requiring at least ten months for recovery.
U.S. Uncertainty Shocks and Labor Market Outcomes: Gender, Ethnicity, and Educational Attainment
This paper analyzes the effects of U.S. uncertainty shocks on labor market outcomes across different groups: gender, ethnicity, and educational attainment. Using a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model from 1990M1 to 2023M12, results show that uncertainty shocks significantly affect aggregate economic activity while unemployment and labor force participation rates experience persistent adverse effects. Notably, the findings show considerable disparities in the responses of different demographic groups. Women experience slightly higher increases in unemployment than men, which could reflect gender-specific vulnerabilities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, non-White workers face higher chances of job losses and larger declines in labor force participation. Lastly, those with lower educational attainment, particularly high school graduates, experience greater negative impacts compared to those with bachelor's degrees or more.
Domestic and Cross-Border Effects of Trade Policy Uncertainty: Evidence from the United States and China (with Ali Mahmoud)
This paper examines the domestic and international macroeconomic effects of trade policy uncertainty (TPU) shocks between the United States and China. While the domestic consequences of uncertainty are well documented, less is known about the bilateral transmission of trade policy uncertainty between the world's two largest economies. Using Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) and Local Projections (LP), this study estimates the dynamic responses of output, investment, consumption, international trade, interest rates, the real effective exchange rate, and financial markets to both domestic and foreign TPU shocks. The results reveal substantial international spillover effects that frequently match or exceed the corresponding domestic responses. U.S. TPU shocks generate significant and persistent declines in Chinese investment, trade, and financial market performance, while TPU shocks originating in China exert pronounced contractionary effects on U.S. investment, international trade, and financial markets. Financial markets and exchange rates respond almost immediately to uncertainty shocks, whereas real economic activity adjusts more gradually over subsequent quarters. These findings suggest that trade policy uncertainty propagates across borders through trade, financial, and exchange-rate channels, underscoring the importance of accounting for international spillovers when evaluating the macroeconomic consequences of trade policy uncertainty.
Uncertainty Beyond Borders: Spillover Effects of U.S. Uncertainty in Emerging Economies
This paper investigates the heterogeneous spillover effects of U.S. uncertainty shocks on emerging market economies using a Panel Vector Autoregression (PVAR). While U.S. uncertainty triggers a synchronized contraction across all emerging markets, the transmission mechanism varies critically by region. Latin American economies exhibit structural vulnerability, characterized by a procyclical “fear of floating” monetary response to defend against exchange rate pass-through. This sensitivity is amplified by deep vertical integration with U.S. trade, making the region uniquely sensitive to cross-border supply chain disruptions. In contrast, Asian economies display relative resilience, supported by countercyclical policy space and the positive supply shock derived from net energy imports. These findings suggest that structural idiosyncrasies, specifically trade composition and monetary credibility, are the dominant determinants of cross-border spillovers.
Work in Progress
- Financial Channels of U.S. Uncertainty to Mexico: A Two-Country DSGE Model
- The Messi Effect: Pre and Post 2026 World Cup (with James Kemper and Murad Latifov)
Teaching
Texas Tech University
Graduate Part-time Instructor
- ECO 2301: Principles of Economics: Microeconomics (large class with 100+ students) - Spring and Fall 2026
- ECO 2301: Principles of Economics: Microeconomics - Fall 2025
- ECO 2305: Principles of Economics - Spring 2025
Teaching Assistant (2023 - 2024)
- ECO 2301: Principles of Economics: Microeconomics
- ECO 2305: Principles of Economics
- ECO 4305: Introduction to Econometrics
- ECO 5314: Econometrics 1