Welcome to my website.

I am an applied economist interested in economic history, socioeconomics, and political economy. Most of my research agenda lies in two branches: I study the privilege from elites’ backgrounds and the unequal access of social groupings to clean air, education, and top economic and political positions. 

I am a Lecturer at Dartmouth College. During the Spring term, I will teach Macroeconomics. Previously, I have taught various macroeconomics, econometrics, and economic history courses in Colombia and the US.

During my Ph.D. studies, I worked as a Consultant at the Institute of Social Science Research at UMass, Amherst, and as an Econometric Fellow at Amherst College.

Outside academia, I have worked as a private consultant, NGO researcher, and government officer - my CV.

Contact me:

Ricardo.j.salas.diaz @dartmouth.edu

Research

[JMP] A Century of Central Bankers at the Banco de la República of Colombia

ARTICLES

[NEW] Aguilar, Sandra; Cárdenas, J. C.; and R. Salas. (2025) Environmental justice beyond race: skin tone and exposure to air pollution. PNAS

[NEW] Salas, R. and Young, K. (2024). Where Did the Global Elite Go to School? Global Networks DATA

Salas, R. (2023). Kemmerer Lives! The Evolution of the Composition of the Central Bank Board of Five Latin American Countries. Tiempo & Economía 10(2).

Navas, L; Montes, F; Abolghasem, S; Salas, R; Toloo, M; and R. Zarama. (2020). Colombian Higher Education Institutions Evaluation. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 100801.

Montes, F; Forero, D; Salas, R; and R. Zarama. (2017). The Challenges of Creating a Ranking: A Colombian Example. International Higher Education. Vol. 90, pp. 22-24. June.

[ES] Salas, R. (2015). Incidencia de la migración sobre las diferencias salariales de género en Colombia. Ensayos sobre Política Económica, Banco de la República. Vol. 33 (77), pp. 103 – 119, June.

WORKING PAPERS AND IN PROGRESS

[ES] Salas, R; Sanabria-Pulido, P; Rodríguez, C; and P. Torres. (2022). Mérito, representatividad, y asimetrías en nombramientos de altos funcionarios públicos en Colombia 1991-2021. Documentos de Trabajo Escuela de Gobierno Alberto Lleras Camargo. No 91.

Corrales, J and R. Salas. (2025) Intentional Polarization. Using extreme policies and discourse to promote democratic backsliding. R&R Democratization.

A complete list of my work-in-progress is at the bottom of this page

BOOKS CHAPTERS

Salas, R. (2023) 100 years of Economics at the Board of the Banco de la República. In Álvarez, A and Hurtado, J (eds.). A History of Colombian Economic Thought The Economics Ideas that Built Modern Colombia. Routledge.

Villaveces-Niño, MJ; Salas, R.; and Pilar Torres-Alvarado. (2023). A Mere Guest? The Slow Process of Women's Participation in Top Economic Positions (1950-2000). In Álvarez, A and Hurtado, J (eds.). A History of Colombian Economic Thought The Economics Ideas that Built Modern Colombia. Routledge.

Percentage of the World Elites Educated by Country and their Nationalities.