Beatriz Calzada Olvera

I am an economist working at the intersection of industrial policy, critical raw materials, and sustainability transitions. My research examines how extractive industries—mining and other upstream sectors, such as cement—shape (and are shaped by) technological change and structural transformation, and what governments and firms need to do to turn resource wealth into strong industrial capabilities and sustainable growth. 

My work combines quantitative and qualitative research with direct policy engagement. I have consulted for the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), and participated in expert fora for institutions such as the OECD and the UN on critical raw materials and industrial innovation.  Currently, I serve as Principal Investigator for DETOCS, a Horizon Europe-funded project examining decarbonization challenges in concrete value chains. 

I am based at the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, and affiliated with United Nations University Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology, and Extractivism.de — a research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.  I hold a PhD in Economics and Policy Studies of Technical Change from Maastricht University.