Jeancarlo Vélez Lebrón

The economic literature on colonial institutions relies primarily on aggregate outcomes measured far from the historical period of interest. Yet the historical record of plantation capitalism consistently emphasizes exploitation and displacement, while recent economic studies tend to find positive aggregate effects. This paper leverages Puerto Rico’s full-count censuses (1910–1950) and a novel firm-level panel to study distributional and short-run effects during the period when the sugar industry was actively operating. The coexistence of U.S.-owned and locally owned mills under the same colonial policy environment makes it possible to ask whether the origin of capital—not just colonial policy—shaped outcomes for surrounding communities.

We study whether a large-scale management training program for public school principals can improve school management quality and student achievement in Puerto Rico. In a randomized controlled trial covering approximately 845 public schools across the island, we evaluate the effects of an intensive professional development program providing training, workshops, and personalized coaching on key management practices. The staggered design allows us to estimate both short- and medium-run treatment effects, addressing whether management training impacts can be sustained over time.