Gustavo Torrens

Gustavo Torrens is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Indiana University Bloomington and serves as Director of the Political Economy Program at the Ostrom Workshop. His research bridges theoretical and applied approaches to understanding institutional influences on economic outcomes.

Dr. Torrens received his Ph.D. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis (2013). His methodological toolkit includes laboratory experiments alongside traditional theoretical and empirical analyses.

His research program spans three interconnected domains: (i) economic structure and institutions, (ii) institutions and public policies, and (iii) political economy of conflict. Specific applications include trade and migration policies, crime dynamics, fiscal federalism, and antitrust enforcement mechanisms.

• 2016 Award of the National Academy of Sciences of Argentina for political regimes and trade policy research
• 2018 Prize from Portugal's Ministry of Economics for antitrust enforcement work

His scholarship has received significant media coverage from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Slate Magazine, while his policy commentary appears on Vox CEPR Policy Portal, Vox Lacea, and Focoeconomico platforms.