Jhon Fonseca Ordóñez is a researcher and practitioner specializing in international trade, economic complexity, and the evolution of productive ecosystems. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Economics and Business at the University of Barcelona and a Research Fellow at the Harvard Growth Lab.

With more than two decades of experience across the public, private, and academic sectors, Jhon has served as Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, leading the country’s international trade and investment policies and representing Costa Rica before regional and multilateral bodies. In the private sector, he has worked as a consultant and entrepreneur in areas of competitiveness, innovation, and investment promotion, advising multinational firms and business organizations throughout Latin America.

His doctoral research examines the structural transformation of small open economies, using Costa Rica as a longitudinal case to integrate macroeconomic, sectoral, and firm-level perspectives. His broader work explores how strategic management, innovation systems, and global value chain integration shape long-term competitiveness and institutional upgrading in developing economies.