Mr. Guasch holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University, California, USA and Industrial Engineering Degree from the Polytechnic University of Barcelona, Spain.  He is the Former Senior Regional Advisor in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region in The World Bank in Washington, DC, responsible for regulation, competitiveness, infrastructure/PPP , innovation and technology issues and investment climate for the LAC Region and was the Head of the World Bank Global Expert Team on PPP.  He is also a Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego, since 1980. Over 30 years of experience advising Governments  on multiple  aspects  i)  on  improving Competitiveness, and  Innovation and Mainstreaming SMEs into the value chain; and ii)  on Infrastructure and PPPs and Regulation (legal, institutional, processes, contract design, contract oversight, instruments and capacity building, financial issues, pricing etc). He has assisted and adviced Governments in more than 50 countries on  a variety of isssues among them on competitiveness, and infrastructure and PPPs. He has written extensively in leading economic and finance journals, and has written several books.  His most recent books are:  (i) Managing the Regulatory Process:  Design, Concepts, Issues and the Latin America and Caribbean Story; (ii) The Challenge of Designing and Implementing Effective Regulation:  A Normative Approach and an Empirical Evaluation; (iii) Labor Markets:  The Unfinished Reform in Latin America and Caribbean; (iv) Closing the Gap in Education and Technology in Latin America ;  (v) Granting and Renegotiating Concessions:  Doing it Right; vi) The Impact of Private Participation in Infrastructure; and vii) Does the Investment Climate Matter?