Laserna Roberto (born in 1953) is a Bolivian writer and social science researcher with a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He won the Literary National Prize Franza Tamayo in 1976 before becoming a scientist. His book 20 (mis)conceptions on coca and cocaine addresses drug policy and development problems, and La democracia en el ch`enko explains one of the most neglected causes of economic stagnation. He is a Professor at Universidad Mayor de San Simon, and has been at the University of Princeton (2003-2004).