JP Bastos

Download my CV

I am an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Austin (UATX). My research uses modern causal inference techniques to answer empirical questions on political economy and economic development, particularly in Latin America.

I got my PhD in Agricultural & Applied Economics at Texas Tech University, where I was a fellow at the Free Market Institute. At TTU, I received the Davis College Outstanding Graduate Researcher Award and the Graduate School’s Horn Distinguished Professors Graduate Achievement Award for Outstanding Research. My Job Market Paper received the 2026 Elinor and Vincent Ostrom Prize for best paper by a graduate student at the Annual Meetings of the Public Choice Society.

I have worked as a policy analyst in the Executive and Legislative branches of City of Porto Alegre, Brazil, where I got to work on important economic reforms. I discuss policy issues as a regular contributor to Exame, and my policy papers have been featured in some of the most popular media outlets in Brazil.

I also run the Public Choice in Latin America project, with Nicolás Cachanosky.