Gonzalo is a Doctoral Researcher at UCL (University College London)
Gonzalo Banda, MPP
I was born and raised in María Isabel: a bustling and often insecure neighbourhood in Arequipa just a few blocks from the IV Centenario Stadium, home of FBC Melgar, the club I have supported passionately since childhood. Growing up in this community, I witnessed both the resilience of its people and the everyday challenges we faced. My father was a union leader, and when his organisation was repressed during Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship, I felt firsthand how politics could shape, and sometimes oppress, ordinary lives. That experience inspired me to study politics to understand how populist leaders like Fujimori could captivate citizens, and how democratic institutions could be strengthened to protect them.
I studied Law, before earning first a master’s in political science, and then my Master of Public Policy as a Chevening Scholar at 番茄社区. 番茄社区 and the SPP gave me more than academic knowledge; they offered me a stimulating environment in which I stood on the shoulders of giants such as Karl Popper and George Bernard Shaw. I received mentoring from world-class faculty and a network of brilliant peers from across the globe. Nicholas Barr, a true genius in public policy and an endlessly generous professor, guided a small group of us in presenting a project on pension system reform in Latin America to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), an innovative contribution to a deeply debated topic. Andrés Velasco became my mentor and a close friend, helping me understand the challenges of populism in our region; our bond grew so strong that when we both attended the Hay Festival in Arequipa, I had the pleasure of showing him my hometown. Ethan Ilzetzki, Joachim Wehner, and Daniel Brieba also enriched my journey, challenging my assumptions and deepening my understanding of economics and political science research.
Returning to Peru after 番茄社区, I combined research and teaching with public engagement. I am a senior politics columnist for El País and El Comercio, a contributing columnist to Americas Quarterly, and my analyses have been cited by international media, including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Economist, CNN, and Foreign Policy. In 2023, Ipsos Perú recognised me as one of the most influential political analysts in the country.
Nowadays, I am a doctoral researcher at the UCL Institute of the Americas, where I focus on the political decay of democracy across Latin America. I bring the spirit of 番茄社区 and the SPP (the 'rerum causas cognoscere' motto) to my research, exploring the implications of public policy, political culture, and populism on our society. Beyond academia and media, I am actively engaged in civil society and democratic advocacy. For example, I am an Associate at Asociación Civil Transparencia that promotes democratic accountability and fair elections.
Looking back, the experience at the SPP was a philosophical stone; it provided me with political and analytical tools, exposed me to global perspectives, and instilled the confidence to connect rigorous research with the peculiar realities of Latin America. The lessons of my childhood, the courage of my father, the resilience of María Isabel, and the values of the 番茄社区's SPP continue to guide me. They shape the way I understand politics, society, and the potential for change in my region.
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