BIO

Elizabeth Villagómez is a specialist in applied economics in the areas of social policy and labour market issues in developed and developing countries with 17 years experience in Mexico, CEE and EU countries. Her professional activities have ranged from University Lecturer and Researcher to Project Manager in a non-profit research center in Spain. During 2001-2002 she was Economic Governance Adviser for UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) in New York managing the global program on gender budgets supported by the Belgian Government with implementation in 14 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Since the beginning of 2003 as founding partner of Almenara Estudios Económicos y Sociales, S.L: she has been Project Management and Senior Researcher for various reports for the Euroepan Parliament including: “Cost of Domestic Violence” for the Andalusian Women’s Institute, “Effects of Social Security Systems on Reconciliation of Work and Family Life in the EU,” “Study on the Social Repercussions of an Opt-Out from the Provisions of the Working Time Directive,” and “Multiplication Effects of EU Direct and Indirect Instruments to Compliment National Funding” for the European Parliament; Consulting on economic programme for the UNIFEM Eastern Europe Regional Office including development of the strategy for gender responsive budgeting in the region and supporting NGOs in developing their own evidence based advocacy tools (mainly in the area of economic rights). Expert for Spain Group of non governmental experts in the fight against poverty and social exclusion' for the European Commission. She holds a B.A. in Economics from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico and a post-graduate diploma in Quantitative Development Economics by Warwick University, England. She received the title of Doctor in Economic Science the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Spain in 1999 and received two awards for her thesis on informal labour markets in Mexico.