Lara is a senior research fellow at CEPR. She has previously worked at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center and as an advisor for the International Trade Union Confederation, which represents over 200 million workers worldwide. Her past projects include co-founding and managing Economic Questions, a pluralist economics blog where she was both an editor and contributor.
Lara is a dual citizen of the US and Romania, holds a BA in mathematics from Bard College and an MS in economic policy and theory from the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, and is now finishing her PhD dissertation at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE Bucuresti). Lara’s research interests include issues around sovereign debt, industrial policy, sustainable development, and policies that can support a just transition to a net-zero economy. Her work frequently engages with the devastating social and economic effects of austerity policies and the logical fallacies that underpin these policies. Her work has been featured by media outlets such as Reuters, BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, The Intercept, openDemocracy, Vox, and The Hill.
All from Lara Merling
Puerto Rico’s Power Utility Is Broken, but Privatization Won’t Necessarily Fix It
Months after Hurricane Maria the lights are still not back on for all Puerto Ricans. The extensive damage caused by the storm, along with the slow pace of restoring electricity have highlighted the struggles of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority (PREP
Congress: Remember Puerto Rico Needs Fair Medicaid Funding Too
Lara MerlingThe Hill, October 17, 2017
More Trouble Ahead: Puerto Rico’s Impending Medicaid Crisis
October 2017, Lara Merling and Jake Johnston
Puerto Rico’s Oversight Board: The Grinch who Stole Christmas and Came Back for More
As Puerto Rico’s debt saga plays out in court, its Financial Oversight and Management Board continues to push for further austerity measures that directly impact the people of Puerto Rico. In an effort to comply with the demands of the board, the Puerto R
No, Ecuador Is Not Heading into Its Second Year of Recession
In an article about Ecuador’s presidential transition that appeared in Bloomberg View, Mac Margolis claims that “Moreno takes over as Ecuador heads into its second year of recession.” However, this is not true.Looking at quarterly GDP data for Ecuador, we
Life After Debt in Puerto Rico: How Many More Lost Decades?
July 2017, Lara Merling, Kevin Cashman, Jake Johnston, and Mark Weisbrot
The French Economy, European Authorities, and the IMF: “Structural Reform” or Increasing Employment?
April 2017, Mark Weisbrot, Lara Merling, Alexander Main, and David Rosnick
Did NAFTA Help Mexico? An Update After 23 Years
March 2017, Mark Weisbrot, Lara Merling, Vitor Mello, Stephan Lefebvre, and Joseph Sammut
Decade of Reform: Ecuador’s Macroeconomic Policies, Institutional Changes, and Results
February 2017, Mark Weisbrot, Jake Johnston, and Lara Merling
Broadband in the US is Slower, More Expensive Than In Most OECD Countries
While the U.S. is the birthplace of the Internet, it currently falls behind other countries in making high quality broadband connections widely available.The OECD’s overview on broadband connectivity shows the U.S. provides costlier and lower quality broa