Recently in San Antonio Report, Belinda Román, the associate professor at St. Mary’s University, was recognized for her uncanny ability to accurately predict economic trends for the year 2023.
Having outdone her peers across the nation, Román's methodology diverges clearly from the pack. She has been able to consistently more accurately forecast economic trajectory by choosing to, somewhat controversially, lean heavily into understanding human behaviors rather than getting solely entangled in numerical data. “I kind of went back to basics to think about what is the normal trajectory of our economy and what are people saying, what’s happening on the ground,” Román explained in a San Antonio Report interview. Her approach reflects a blending of economic theory with street-level insights.
The El Paso native has gathered a diverse range of experiences, having traversed the academic and practical world of economics through stints in Canada, England, Bolivia, Washington, D.C., and Fort Worth, all before her appointment at Palo Alto College. Currently, her mission extends beyond the classroom at St. Mary’s to her role as secretary-treasurer of the San Antonio Business and Economics Society and her research efforts at the SABÉR Research Institute.
In her recent podcast discussion, Román touched upon the hurdles San Antonio needs to overcome, including growing economic inequalities and the pace of bureaucratic response. "It's a question of how we accelerate the process and make sure that they move through the bureaucracies faster," she told San Antonio Report. Her foresight hints at practical solutions that might just stand to benefit not just San Antonio but potentially serve as a case study for other urban economies.
While discussing the realities of inflation and wage stagnation, Román remains cautiously optimistic about the broader economic picture, noting that the stock market is not indicative of the entire U.S. economy. Reflecting on San Antonio's unique place within the economic landscape, she underscores the potential lying to the south, beyond Mexico, suggesting a shift in focus could reveal yet untapped business avenues. "And if we can get past some of the negative press, I think we'll see that we have a lot of business opportunities down there and global opportunities," she optimistically predicted.
The episode 59 of bigcitysmalltown, hosting Román's interview, presents an opportunity for anyone interested in the blend of economics and real-world applicability to learn more about her outlook and San Antonio’s economic future. For more insights and to understand Román's forecasting acumen, tuning into the podcast might just prove to be an enlightening endeavor.
