Emma Aguila

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Director, Center for Latin American Social Policy; Economist; Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in economics, University College London; M.Sc. in economics, University College London; B.A. in economics, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM)

Overview

Biography

Emma Aguila an economist at the RAND Corporation, director of the RAND Center for Latin American Social Policy, and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She is leading a randomized control trial analyzing the impact of a noncontributory pension program in the State of Yucatan, Mexico. She previously worked as a researcher in the chief economist team at the UK Department of Work and Pensions, as a consultant on projects for the World Bank, on the staff of the minister at the Mexican Ministry of Finance, and on the Mexican National Population Council. In 2008, Aguila received RAND's Gold Medal Award for her work to advance RAND's mission and business strategy by developing new international projects. Her research on social security systems, pension provision, and retirement behavior has received several prizes. Aguila received her Ph.D. in economics from University College London.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

  • Experimental design of a noncontributory Social Security program
  • Pension reforms and well-being during retirement
  • Aging, income security, wealth, and health
  • Labor market dynamics and immigration behavior

Selected Publications

Aguila, E. and Zissimopoulos, J., "Retirement and health benefits for Mexican migrant workers returning from the United States," International Social Security Review, 66(2):101-125, 2013

Aguila, Emma, Orazio Attanasio, and Costas Meghir, "Changes in Consumption at Retirement: Evidence from Panel Data," Review of Economics and Statistics, 93(3):1094-1099, 2011

Aguila, Emma, "Personal Retirement Accounts and Saving," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 3(4):1-21, 2011

Honors & Awards

  • 2008 Gold Medal Award, RAND Corporation
  • First Prize, Inter-American Award for Research on Social Security, 2007
  • First Prize Award on Pensions, CONSAR, Mexico, 2005

Recent Media Appearances

Interviews: Periódico a.m., Mexico

Publications

Health Status and Behavioral Risk Factors in Older Adult Mexicans and Mexican Immigrants to the United States - 2013

Pobreza y Vulnerabilidad en México: El caso de los Jóvenes que no Estudian ni Trabajan - 2013

How Can Economic and Political Ties Between U.S. and Mexico be Strengthened? (Spanish translation) - 2012

How Can Economic and Political Ties Between the United States and Mexico Be Strengthened? - 2012

Male Labor Force Participation and Social Security in Mexico - 2012

RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 1, Spring 2012 - 2012

Targeting Cash Transfer Programs for an Older Population - 2012

United States and Mexico: Ties That Bind, Issues That Divide - 2012

Changes in Consumption at Retirement: Evidence from Panel Data - 2011

Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health - 2011

Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health: Executive Summary - 2011

Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health (Spanish-language version) - 2011

Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health: Executive Summary (Spanish-language version) - 2011

Personal Retirement Accounts and Saving - 2011

Cobertura del Sistema Privado de Capitalización en Chile, Colombia y México - 2010

Labor Market and Immigration Behavior of Middle-Aged and Elderly Mexicans - 2010

Changes in Consumption at Retirement - 2008

Personal Retirement Accounts and Saving - 2008