
Applied Economics (MS) - University of Minnesota - 2021
Economist with Minor in Management (BS) - Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral - 2017
Biography
I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota, working under the guidance of Professor Elton Mykerezi. My dissertation explores two main topics: how additional income to school districts, such as that obtained through referendums, influences the later life outcomes of K-12 students; and the impact of American Indian casino operations on the long-run employment and sales of adjacent firms.
In collaboration with Professors Elton Mykerezi and Aaron Sojourner, I am also involved in a project that applies machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze short-answer questions used for screening teacher applicants, providing insights into their responses. This research aims to enhance the teacher recruitment process by developing more effective evaluation methods.
I earned my M.S. in Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota (2019-2021) as a Fulbright Scholar, selected through a national competition in Ecuador. Prior to my graduate studies, I served as a laboratory lecturer for Econometrics I and II at the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) and as a researcher at the Center for Economic Research. I obtained my degree in economics from ESPOL in 2017, where I was recognized as the best student in the program in 2015. I was also selected through a national competition to receive the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship for study visits to German universities in 2016.
My research spans applied microeconomics, with a focus on labor and development economics, the economics of education, and environmental economics. I am passionate about bridging academic research and practical policymaking to address complex economic challenges and contribute valuable insights to real-world policy issues.
Outside of my research, I enjoy exploring interdisciplinary approaches to economic questions and engaging with local and international research communities.
Areas of Interest
- Applied Microeconomics
- Development Economics
- Labor Economics
- Natural Resource and Environmental Economics
- Economics of Education
Select Publications
(Working Paper) Aguilar-Bohorquez, J., Mykerezi, E. and Johnson, J. Would longer weekends keep teachers in rural schools? Evidence from Minnesota’s four-day school week program as a non-monetary incentive.
(Working Paper) Castillo, J.G., Aguilar-Bohorquez, J. & Valverde-Bajaña, I. Type-Consistent Willingness to Pay in Contingent Valuation Methods: An application to the mangrove forest in the Gulf of Guayaquil. Submitted to Resource and Energy Economics. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3255966
Bade, D., Castillo, J. G., Fernández, M. A., & Aguilar-Bohorquez, J. (2020). The price premium of heritage in the housing market: Evidence from Auckland, New Zealand. Land Use Policy, 99, 105042. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.105042