Microeconomic Theory; Information Economics; Market and Mechanism Design

Advisor for PhD students:
Andrea Canales (PhD Engineering systems, U de Chile 2018)

Advisor for master students:
Padilla, Exequiel (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2021)
Zanocco, Piero (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2019);
Hennen, Leon (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2018);
Castillo, Martin (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2017);
Carniglia, Gian Luca (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2016);
Arena, Irma (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2014);
Cuellar, Pablo (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2014);
Torres, Juan Pablo (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2013);
Said, Felix (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2012);
Pulgar, Carlos (MS Applied economics, U de Chile 2011);

Advisor for postdoctoral researchers:
Diana MacDonald (placement: Researcher at Central Bank of Chile);
Qiaoxi Zhang (placement: Assistant professor U Diego Portales);
Marc Shroeder (co-advisor; placement: postdoc RWTH Aachen)

Professor Escobar has been involved in several applied projects on market design, regulation and competition policy. He has been part of the team that collaborated with the Ministry of Education on the design and implementation of the centralized School admission system in Chile. This is a novel system that assigns all students in Chile to public and subsidized schools. The system runs nationwide and throughout all school levels. Professor Escobar has also advised Subtel (the telecommunication office) on the design of the first spectrum auction in Chile for 5G services. This was a combinatorial auction that brought more than USD 450millions to the Chilean treasury. Before this design, spectrum was freely given to mobile operators.

He has provided expert testimony in Congress (both in the Senate and the House) on telecommunication issues and the new School admission system in Chile. He has written expert reports on regulatory and competition issues before the Tribunal de Defensa de la Libre Competencia (the main competition authority). He has also written columns and opinions in the main Chilean newspapers, including El Mercurio, La Tercera, and Diario Financiero.