Dr. Heidi Jane M. Smith

Dr. Heidi Smith is a political economy expert studying the politics of trade, debt, taxes and fiscal policy in Latin America. Her research focuses on how governments fund their public programs at the local, state and federal level. Her recent publications have appeared in World Development, Latin American Research Review, Public Administration Review, and Public Budgeting and Finance. Dr. Smith has taught public policy classes in Washington DC (George Mason University), Miami (Florida International University) and Mexico City (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México).

Dr. Smith has a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from Florida International University, a Masters in Public Policy from American University and a BA in Political Science, Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Wisconsin (Madison). She has extensive experience working with local and regional governments in Latin America as a consultant for international organizations (IDB, OAS, OECD) and serving in the U.S. government at the US Department of State and the Inter-American Foundation (IAF).