Francisco Rodríguez is an economist and coauthor of Venezuela Before Chávez. Previously, he was director and senior Andean economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML), where he specializes in the economies of Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. Rodríguez has held numerous positions in academia and public policy. Between 2000 and 2004 he headed the Venezuelan Congressional Budget Office. He has taught economics at the University of Maryland at College Park, Wesleyan University, and the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración in Caracas. Before joining BAML, Rodríguez was the head of research at the Human Development Report Office at the UN Development Program. His research has been published in journals such as Foreign Affairs, American Economic Journal, and Journal of Economic Growth. He holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University.