Sandra V.Rozo

I am a Senior Economist in the World Bank’s Development Research Group. My research is structured around four areas:

1. How forced displacement affects development and how we can support displaced populations and their hosting communities effectively.
2. How technology can improve the well-being of vulnerable communities.
3. Determinants of fertility decline and implications for development.
4. How crime and non-state armed actors affect development, and what policies can effectively curb their effects.

I work with randomized trials, longitudinal panels, and quasi-experimental methods, with work on Bangladesh, Colombia, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Jordan, Peru, Venezuela, and Uganda. I co-founded the VenRePs panels of Venezuelan forced migrants in Colombia for adults and children and the Syrian Refugee Life Study (SRLS) in Jordan. I received the 2024 Juan Luis Londoño Award, given biennially to a Colombian under 40 whose research and policy work have made a substantial contribution to welfare in Colombia. I also contributed to the World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies. My aim is to generate evidence that improves people’s lives.

Apart from my academic work, I am the author of the book SuperMom: A No-Guilt Guide to Raising Happy Kids and Loving Your Life.