Climate Change and Economic Growth

Elisa Belfiori holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota and is a full-time professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the School of Business, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. Before returning to Argentina, she was a tenure-track professor at Colorado State University and previously worked as a researcher at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and the Central Bank of Argentina. Her research sits at the intersection of macroeconomics and climate change, with applications in public finance and a focus on the optimal design of climate policies. She is the co-editor of The Economics of Climate Change in Argentina (Springer, 2021) and a regular contributor to edited volumes, as well as an academic advisor for flagship climate policy reports produced by multilateral organizations. Her work has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, European Economic Review, Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy, and Energy Policy. In 2016, she received the Distinguished CESifo Affiliate Award in Energy and Climate Economics.

Gastón Gertner holds a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from Princeton University and specializes in impact evaluation and the design of behavioral-science informed interventions for public policy. He has over 15 years of experience leading applied research and development projects across Latin America in sectors such as housing, urban development, energy efficiency, infrastructure, social protection, health, and education. He has served as a consultant and advisor to governments, foundations, and international organizations including the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, USAID, UNICEF, CAF, and AECID. From 2021 to 2024, he was Executive Director of the Center for Evaluation and Evidence-Based Policymaking (CEPE) at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. In 2025–2026, he will join the Florence School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute as a Policy Leader Fellow. His current work focuses on developing policy frameworks to accelerate the transition to zero-emission homes, with an emphasis on designing scalable strategies for replacing gas heating systems with efficient electric alternatives in urban neighborhoods.