Home Country: Uruguay

Grant Dates: 2012/2013

Fernando Borraz was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1971. He obtained a B.A. in Economics from the University of the Republic of Uruguay in 1996. Fernando got an Inter-American Development Bank scholarship to pursue his Master of Science in Economics at ILADES/Georgetown University in Santiago de Chile. He also obtained a Georgetown University graduate fellowship to get a Ph.D. in Economics at Georgetown University in 2004. Fernando’s research is in policy evaluation, development economics and applied microeconomics. He is a researcher at the Central Bank of Uruguay and professor at the University of the Republic. His research has been published in The Journal of Development Studies, Journal of Economic Inequality and the National Bureau of Economic Research, among others. He received the first prize of the National Prize in Economics in 2004, granted by the University of the Republic. He also received the first prize in the 2011 Inter-American Award for Research in Social Security granted by the Inter-American Conference on Social Security.

The literature for developed countries shows how information and communication technology (ICT) can help to reduce emissions and combat climate change. However, it is very scarce and emerging the literature for developing countries. The general objective of Fernando’s research project is to fill the gap by a rigorous analysis of the link between ICT and climate change in developing countries. The study will produce policy recommendations on: i) how the adaptation process through ICT should take into account the context (inequality and poverty) to avoid undesirable effects, and ii) the factors that influence the involvement of local stakeholders in ICT projects to address climate change. The project will have an important policy impact. Fernando has made preliminary contacts with those who are responsible for the creation of the National Livestock Information System at the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries to complement his research with their policies. In particular, Fernando’s research will contribute to the creation of a cell platform to facilitate the access of small producers to climate change information. Finally, even though the application of the research will be in Uruguay, with the cooperation of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University it is possible to adjust the Uruguayan research to other regions.