Santiago Levy, Architect of Mexican Anti-Poverty Program, Joins Brookings

Santiago Levy, a former Deputy Minister of Finance for Mexico and the main creator of Progresa-Oportunidades, Mexico’s incentive-based health, nutrition and education program for the poor, joined Brookings as a nonresident senior fellow, Strobe Talbott announced.

Levy will be part of the Global Economy and Development’s Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings, and will concentrate on poverty reduction and the creation of effective social policy instruments in developing countries, with a specific focus on Latin America. Levy’s first Brookings publication “Progress Against Poverty,” a book on the Progresa-Oportunidades program, was released in November 2006.

“Santiago’s expertise and innovative leadership in the field of development will further strengthen the Wolfensohn Center for Development’s efforts to examine how successful development interventions, like Progresa-Oportunidades, can be implemented, scaled and sustained to alleviate poverty,” said Lael Brainard, vice president and director of Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution, and holder of the Bernard L. Schwartz Chair in International Economics. “We welcome Santiago’s insights on our international poverty reduction agenda.”

In addition to serving as Deputy Minister of Finance, Levy held numerous positions within the Mexican government, including General Director, Mexican Social Security Institute; President, Federal Competition Commission; and Director, Deregulation Office, Ministry of Industry and Trade. Levy has also published numerous books, chapters and academic articles on related economic and development subjects, including tax policy, trade policy reform, social policy, and regional and rural development.

Levy received his undergraduate degree, Masters in Political Economy and Ph.D. in Economics from Boston University.

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