Xavier Sala-i-Martin
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Xavier Sala-i-Martin (b. Cabrera de Mar, Barcelona, Spain, 1963) is a Catalan Spanish professor of economics at Columbia University.
Sala-i-Martin earned his Llicenciatura (degree) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona in 1985 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1990, both in economics. In addition to working at Columbia, he has been a professor at Yale University, Harvard, and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona (which he still visits for a trimester every year).
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[edit] Professional work
Sala-i-Martin was ranked 16th in the top 1000 most-cited economists in the world for worked produced in the 1990's [Tom Coupe (2002), "Worldwide Rankings of Economists and Economics Departments"]. His works include the topics of economic growth, development in Africa, monetary economics, social security, health and economics, classical-liberal thinking (with his book "Liberal economics for non-economists and non-liberals"), and convergence. He has constructed the best estimate to date of the World Distribution of Income, which he has then used to estimate poverty rates and measures of inequality. The conclusions of this study challenged the conventional wisdom in two dimensions. First, the United Nations and the World Bank used to believe that, although poverty rates were falling, the total number of poor people was increasing. Sala-i-Martin showed that both were falling. Second, the United Nations and the World Bank used to believe that individual income inequalities were on the rise. Sala-i-Martin showed they were not (although if you exclude China and India you get a different picture for both).
Known for his colorful personality and wardrobe, he co-wrote the textbook Economic Growth with Robert Barro. He also is a columnist for the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.
[edit] Activities besides economics
Sala-i-Martin was acting president of European Champions FC Barcelona in July and August of 2006 until Joan Laporta was reelected. During his reign, FC Barcelona won the Spanish Supercup against RCD Español.
Sala-i-Martin is the founder of "Umbele: A Future for Africa", a non-profit organization that promotes economic development in Africa, as well as of the nonprofit organization CEOs Without Borders.
[edit] Prizes
Sala-i-Martin has been recognized with a "Distinguished Teacher in Graduate Economics" award 3 times, both at Columbia and at Yale, with the King Juan Carlos I prize 2004 (a biannual prize given to the best economist in Spain and Latin America), and the Lenfest Prize 2006 awarded to the best teacher at Columbia University.
[edit] External links
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