Víctor Jorge Elías

Born in Tucumán, Argentina in 1937, Víctor Jorge Elías  received his undergraduate degree from the National University of Tucumán in 1960, and a master’s degree (1964) and Ph.D. (1969)  in economics from the University of Chicago. In 1965, he accepted an appointment as Professor of Economics at the National University of Tucumán and also served as director of the university’s graduate program in economics. Currently he is Emeritus Professor at that university. He was also director of the Institute of Applied Economics of the Foundation of the Bank of Entrepreneurs of Tucumán.

In 1970, he was elected President of the Argentine Economic Association and served for two years; he held that office again from 1978 to 1980.  He was also the President of the Latin American Standing Committee of the Econometric Society from 1984 to 1986 and again, from 1994to 1996. He has been a visiting researcher at Turcuato Di Tella Institute in 1965 and 1968, and at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, D.C., as well as a visiting professor at both Harvard (1973) and Stanford (1975, 1988) universities.  He was also an advisor to the National Research Council of Argentina Social Science Committee beginning in 1970.  At the meeting of the Asian Productivity Association in Tokyo in 1987, he was the Resource Speaker.

His publications include Sources of Growth: A Study of Seven Latin American Economies (San Francisco: Institute of Contemporary Studies, 1992) and he contributed to the Study of Sources of Economic Growth in Latin America.  His honors include the Anita Harberger Prize of the Marroquin Foundation (2003) and membership in the Argentinean National Academy of Economics.

Víctor Jorge Elías and his wife, Ana M. Ganum, have two daughters, one son, and six grandchildren.