Carlos Mendez

Carlos Mendez

Associate Professor of Development Economics

Nagoya University, JAPAN

About me

After studying Commercial Engineering in Bolivia and Chile, I worked as a consultant for Pro-Mujer International, The World Bank, DANIDA, and JICA. I have a M.A. and a Ph.D. in International Development from Nagoya University, Japan. My research interests focus on the integration of development economics, spatial data science, and applied econometrics to understand and inform the process of sustainable development across regions. My current research deals with (1) geospatial big data analytics and socioeconomic development; (2) geospatial inequality, poverty, and growth interactions; (3) regional infrastructure and mobility flows; and (4) spatial structural change and productivity dynamics.

Download my CV.

Interests
  • Regional Development
  • Applied Econometrics
  • Spatial Big Data Analytics
  • Spatial Machine Learning
  • Development Macroeconomics
Education

  • PhD in International Development, 2015

    Nagoya University

  • MA in International Development, 2012

    Nagoya University

  • Lic in Commercial Engineering, 2008

    Bolivian Catholic University

QuaRCS-lab Japan

In the QuaRCS-lab and its global network, we conduct research on quantitative regional and computational science. We exploit the integration of development economics, spatial data science, and applied econometrics to understand and inform the process of sustainable development across subnational regions and countries.

When the sun goes down and the lights turn on, there’s still a lot to explore.
Let’s study regional development from outer space!


QUIZ: Based on the regression NTL = a + b(t), the map below shows the trends of nighttime lights. An RGB composite is used for visualization, where positive and negative slope values are represented by red and blue gradients respectively, and the intercept is represented by a green gradient.
Given these parameters, how would you interpret the yellow and cyan colors?
(Hint: Copy and paste this quiz into ChatGPT)


What is luminosity-based GDP? How is it changing across space and time?
(Click anywhere on the map below and discover it.)

What about the distribution of population? What can we learn from the spatial dynamics of population?
(Click anywhere on the map below and discover it.)


Overall, what can you discover from these visualizations? Where is development happening? How is the world changing? To contextualize these questions, below you will find an overview of recent advances in the exciting new field of geospatial development.
You can also click HERE to see the slides in a separate tab.

Do you conduct similar research? Are you interested in learning these and related topics? Do you want to collaborate with us? If yes, click HERE to join our global community of researchers and learners.

Other Publications

Quickly discover relevant content by filtering publications.
Carlos Mendez, Mehak Sachdeva (2025). On the political and socioeconomic geography of violence: Spatial heterogeneity and scale effects in Brazil. Spatial Economic Analysis.

Cite DOI Article AI Podcast Notebook: Stats Notebook: OLS Notebook: GWR Notebook: MGWR Notebook: GWR vs MGWR

Hussein Suleiman, Minh-Thu Thi Nguyen, Carlos Mendez (2025). Predicting subnational GDP in Vietnam with remote sensing data: A machine learning approach. Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences.

Cite DOI AI Podcast Open access article

Chen Yilin, Ursavas Ugur, Carlos Mendez (2024). Can higher-quality nighttime lights predict sectoral GDP across subnational regions? Urban and rural luminosity across provinces in Türkiye. Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences.

Preprint Cite DOI AI Video AI Podcast AI Mindmap Published article

Carlos Mendez, Tifani Siregar (2023). Regional unemployment dynamics in Indonesia: Serial persistence, spatial dependence, and common factors. Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences.

Cite DOI AI Video AI Podcast AI Mindmap Published article

Harry Aginta, Carlos Mendez, Masakazu Someya (2023). Regional Okun’s law and endogeneity: evidence from the Indonesian districts. Applied Economics Letters.

PDF Cite Slides DOI

Eleonora Cutrini, Carlos Mendez (2023). Convergence clubs and spatial structural change in the European Union. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics.

PDF Cite DOI

Carlos Mendez (2023). Measuring and understanding regional inequality through the lens of the Indonesian experience. Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science.

PDF Cite DOI

See all publications

Recent & Upcoming Presentations

Development studies in the age of AI
International and Interdisciplinary Workshop, Royal University of Phnom Penh
Sep 18, 2025 2:00 PM Phenom Penh, Cambodia
Slides
Development studies in the age of AI
Monitoring local development from outer space: Promises and pitfalls of satellite nighttime lights
Seminar of the Geographic Data Science Lab, University of Liverpool
Nov 13, 2024 10:10 AM Liverpool, UK
Slides
Monitoring local development from outer space: Promises and pitfalls of satellite nighttime lights
Monitoring economic development from outer space
Workshop of the Asian Development Bank Institute
Sep 4, 2024 10:10 AM Tokyo, Japan
Slides
Monitoring economic development from outer space
Exploring Economic Activity from Outer Space: A Python Notebook for Processing and Analyzing Satellite Nighttime Lights
63rd Congress of the European Regional Science Association
Aug 27, 2024 10:10 AM Azores, Portugal and Virtual
PDF Code Slides
Exploring Economic Activity from Outer Space: A Python Notebook for Processing and Analyzing Satellite Nighttime Lights
Nighttime Lights and Economic Activity: Evidence from Developed and Developing Countries
63rd Congress of the European Regional Science Association
Aug 26, 2024 10:10 AM Azores, Portugal and Virtual
Slides
Nighttime Lights and Economic Activity: Evidence from Developed and Developing Countries
Monitoring regional development in data-poor countries: Integrating satellite images, socioeconomic surveys, and machine learning
Satellite data X Social studies workshop organized by JAXA (衛星データ×経済社会学　ワークショップ)
May 14, 2024 4:00 PM X-NIHONBASHI Tokyo, Japan
Slides
Monitoring regional development in data-poor countries: Integrating satellite images, socioeconomic surveys, and machine learning
Mapping multidimensional poverty in Cambodia: Integrating big data, socioeconomic surveys, and machine learning
GSID-ISEE 2023 Research Workshop
Dec 15, 2023 4:00 PM Nagoya, Japan
Slides
Mapping multidimensional poverty in Cambodia: Integrating big data, socioeconomic surveys, and machine learning
See all events

Projects

*
All Regional development Spatial data science
metricsAI
An introduction to econometrics with Python and AI in the cloud
Website
metricsAI
GeoDevelopment Dashboards
Interactive geospatial dashboards for monitoring regional development
GeoDevelopment Dashboards
DS4Bolivia
A Data Science Repository to Study GeoSpatial Development in Bolivia
Code Slides Video Website
DS4Bolivia
GeoDevelopment Observatory of Cambodia
A public access platform for the analysis, monitoring, and evaluation of sustainable regional development in Cambodia
Slides Video Website
GeoDevelopment Observatory of Cambodia
Computational data science notebooks and apps for development studies
Computational data science notebooks and apps to foster development studies.
Computational data science notebooks and apps for development studies

Students

Doctoral students

Avatar

Abdulah Rusli (Indonesia)

PhD student 2023-2026

Avatar

Bimo Arvianto (Indonesia)

PhD student 2025-2028

Avatar

Cesar Echevarria (Peru)

PhD student 2024-2027

Avatar

He Du (China)

PhD student 2025-2028

Avatar

Leiva Favio (Peru)

PhD student 2023-2024

Avatar

Li Jiaqi (China)

PhD student 2023-2026

Avatar

Li Xiaomeng (China)

PhD student 2025-2028

Avatar

Phon Sophat (Cambodia)

PhD student 2024-2027

Avatar

Restrepo Katerine (Colombia)

PhD student 2023-2026

Avatar

Sour Heng (Cambodia)

PhD student 2023-2026

Avatar

Theara Khoun (Cambodia)

PhD student 2022-2025

Master students

Avatar

Kanyama Yuna (Japan)

Master student 2024-2026

Avatar

Mujkanovic Adin (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Master student 2025-2027

Avatar

Prieto Laura (Colombia)

Master student 2024-2026

Posts & Tutorials

Find more posts and tutorials here.
Regional dynamics of DMSP-like nighttime lights 1992-2019
An interactive exploration of the space-time dynamics of mean luminosity using the DMSP-like data over the 1992-2019 period.
Carlos Mendez
Last updated on Feb 11, 2026 3 min read GEE
[GEE] Google Earth Engine App
Regional dynamics of DMSP-like nighttime lights 1992-2019
Regional dynamics of luminosity-based GDP 1992-2019
An interactive exploration of the space-time dynamics of luminosity-based GDP over the 1992-2019 period.
Carlos Mendez
Last updated on Feb 11, 2026 4 min read GEE
[GEE] Google Earth Engine App
Regional dynamics of luminosity-based GDP 1992-2019
Regional dynamics of VIIRS-like nighttime lights 1992-2023
An interactive exploration of the space-time dynamics of mean luminosity using the VIIRS-like data over the 1992-2023 period.
Carlos Mendez
Last updated on Feb 11, 2026 3 min read GEE
[GEE] Google Earth Engine App
Regional dynamics of VIIRS-like nighttime lights 1992-2023
International and interdisciplinary seminar: Integrating satellite and socioeconomic data for monitoring sustainable development in Cambodia
Overview of the Event The Asian Satellite Campuses Institute (ASCI), the Graduate School of International Development (GSID), and the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE) of Nagoya University, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Cambodia and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), are pleased to organize the research seminar entitled “Integrating Satellite and Socioeconomic Data for Monitoring Sustainable Development in Cambodia.
Carlos Mendez
Last updated on Feb 11, 2026 2 min read Post
International and interdisciplinary seminar: Integrating satellite and socioeconomic data for monitoring sustainable development in Cambodia
Heterogeneous treatment effects via two-stage DID
An introduction to heterogeneous treatment effects using the two-stage DID estimator of Gardner (2021)
Carlos Mendez
Last updated on Feb 11, 2026 3 min read R
[R] Google Colab
Heterogeneous treatment effects via two-stage DID
See all posts

Popular Topics

Bolivia causal club convergence convergence convergence clubs distribution dynamics efficiency gee Indonesia nighttime lights other Productivity python r regional regional inequality spatial spatial dependence stata subnational GDP

Contact