Francisco R. Rodríguez is a Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

n economist and assistant professor of Economics
and Latin American Studies at Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...

 since 2005, who was the head of the Office of Economic and Financial Advisory of the National Assembly

National Assembly of Venezuela

The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the Venezuelan government. It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who are elected by "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote partly by direct election in state-based voting districts, and partly on a state-based...

 (Spanish: Oficina de Asesoría Económica y Financiera de Asamblea Nacional) from 2000 to 2004 during the presidency of Hugo Chávez

Hugo Chávez

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...

.

Rodríguez received an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University, and an undergraduate degree in economics from Venezuela's Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. He has been an associate editor of Economía: Journal of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association since 2008. Rodríguez has published three articles and a number of papers critical of the Chávez administration. His article, "An Empty Revolution: The Unfulfilled Promises of Hugo Chávez", was published in Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...

, a podcast "Rodriguez: Venezuela Nationalizations Might Be A 'Smokescreen'" was hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations

Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...

, and he has been quoted a number of times in media reports on the Chávez administration.

In 2008, Rodríguez became the Head of Research of the United Nations Human Development Report Office.

According to Rodríguez:

DePaul University

DePaul University

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...

 and the Financial Times

Financial Times

The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....

have hosted discussions focused on the debate over Chávez's economic policies

Economic policy of the Hugo Chávez government

Since his election in 1998, the administration of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez has proposed and enacted democratic socialist economic policies. Domestic policies have included redistribution of wealth, land reform, and democratization of economic activity via workplace self-management and...

 between Mark Weisbrot

Mark Weisbrot

Mark Weisbrot is an American economist, columnist and co-director, with Dean Baker, of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. As a commentator, he contributes to publications such as New York Times, the UK's The Guardian, and Brazil's largest newspaper, Folha de S...

and Rodríguez.