Dafne Murillo is a PhD candidate in Economics at Columbia University. Her research lies at the intersection of development and political economy. Originally from Lima, Peru, her work focuses largely on Latin America—one of the most unequal regions in the world— and is motivated by its challenges. She is currently working on projects related to long-run effects of redistributive policy, state capacity, and local development in resourcerich economies. Previously she worked as a predoctoral research assistant at Columbia Economics for Professors Michael Best, Jonas Hjort and Eric Verhoogen. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and Latin American Studies from Columbia College in 2019.