Meet Jim Mahon, GFDD/FUNGLODE Fellow Researching Tax Incidence and Tax Reforms in the Dominican Republic and Latin America

The Fellows Program, an initiative of GFDD and FUNGLODE, is pleased to introduce the fellowship of our current scholar, Dr. James E. Mahon Jr., Professor of Political Science and Political Economy at Williams College, and researcher for the Woodrow Wilson Center. Dr. Mahon’s research focuses on
the political economy of tax reforms in the Dominican Republic and the region. This work began in the summer of 2013 and will continue through June of 2014 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Through the Program, Dr. Mahon has connected with professionals in fiscal politics and taxation in order to collect data for his research.

About Jim Mahon
Jim Mahon is a prominent researcher from the Woodrow Wilson Center in
Washington, DC, as well as a Professor of Political Science and Political Economy at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Jim has worked at Williams for the Woodrow Wilson Center since 1990, having finished a Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley in 1989.

Among his publications are a book, Mobile Capital and Latin American Development (Penn State Press, 1996), many articles and book chapters. His more recent works
include an article on the causes of tax reform in the Latin American Research Review, 2004; a book chapter in Merike Blofield, ed., The Great Gap (Penn State Press, 2011); a working paper on tax incidence in Latin America for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars (Nov. 2012); and his current research on the Dominican Republic with FUNGLODE.

About the Research
Dr. Mahon’s concentration is on fiscal reform in Latin America. His research focuses on identifying conditions and strategies conducive to economically efficient and distributionally progressive fiscal policy.  His current project analyzes the fiscal reform which took place in the Dominican Republic in
November 2012.  It highlights the involvement of civil society in its creation and considers the future role of Dominican civil society in fiscal policy formation.  The research involves meeting with prominent figures in this field and researching legislation pertinent to tax reform and regulations. The first product of Dr. Mahon’s research was a paper presented at FUNGLODE in July 2013 titled: La Tributación en la República Dominicana y la
Reforma de Noviembre 2012 en el Contexto Regional y Global, which placed the Dominican Republic in regional context, building on his larger body of work on Latin America for the Woodrow Wilson Center project.

Dr. Mahon is realizing his fellowship under the guidance of in-country Fellows advisor, Germania Montás, former deputy director general of the Dirección General de Impuestos Internos (DGII).

About the Fellows Program
The Fellows Program was developed in 2009 to respond to the  desire of GFDD and FUNGLODE to develop a community of scholars that contributes to the Foundations’ growing body of research on matters of international concern that directly impact the Dominican Republic, complementing the overall mission of GFDD and FUNGLODE to promote academic exchange, generate scholarship, and influence the creation of public
policy related to economic and social development both at the national and international level.

Through The Fellows Program, GFDD and FUNGLODE seek to generate scholarship on issues at the forefront of the United Nations’ agenda in order to give voice to national and regional concerns and offer viable solutions to domestic and international challenges.

The Fellows Program provides opportunities for M.S., M.A. and Ph.D. candidates interested in
conducting high-level research in the Dominican Republic on issues related to sustainable development. The final output of the investigation is a comprehensive report which includes empirical data. Fellows realize research in coordination with GFDD and FUNGLODE staff, National Advisor and their university professors. Fellows that carry-out exemplary work have the opportunity to present their findings before the United Nations community on behalf of GFDD and FUNGLODE.