Lucas Figal Garone

Lucas Figal Garone is Lead Economist of Development Impact for Latin America and the Caribbean at IDB Invest, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

He has more than 15 years of experience leading the design, monitoring, and evaluation of public and private sector development projects with the aim of maximizing their impact. He also leads economic analyses, studies, impact assessments, and testing of innovative solutions for the generation and dissemination of knowledge linked to the operational experience of IDB Invest, its clients, and the public-private sector in the region.

Previously, he worked in the Competitiveness, Technology, and Innovation Division, and the Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness Division at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C.

Lucas is also Visiting Professor in the Economics Department at the Universidad de San Andrés (UdeSA) and coordinator of the SIDPA productive development initiative.

His areas of expertise and interest include development economics, productive development, impact evaluation, and applied economics. His recent research includes publications in World Development, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Research Policy, The Journal of Development Studies, Small Business Economics, Research in Economics, Journal of Development Effectiveness, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, IDB WP Series, IDB Invest Development through the Private Sector Series, and chapters in several books.

He holds a PhD in Economics from UdeSA, where he also obtained his Master's degree in Economics, after completing his Bachelor's degree in Economics at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).