Tag Archives: Panama

Evaluating Youth Election Engagement in Rural Panama

By Paulina Licon

As part of my internship with International IDEA in Panama this summer, I was privileged to join a team from the Electoral Tribunal of Panama in evaluating a groundbreaking nationwide project, the Elecciones de la Niñez y la Adolescencia del 2024. This project introduced a unique voting simulation, where the youth of Panama were not only educated about the electoral process but also asked to vote for four fundamental values: honesty, respect, tolerance, and equality. The aim was to instill in students the importance of these values in their candidate selection, promoting thoughtful civic engagement.

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Researching Executive Power and Independent Candidates

By Andrea Meador-Safont

Just weeks after Panama elected a new president and National Assembly, I landed at the front steps of a grandiose government building, tasked with helping seasoned researchers analyze the new government citizens chose to represent them. Following one of the most important elections since Panama’s transition to democracy, incoming President José Raúl Mulino has the Herculean task of leading a country away from polarization, political tension, and social divisions while tackling issues of corruption, migration, and the environment. Many Panamanians have expressed disillusionment with their government, citing political corruption as a significant concern. However, amid voter apathy and citizen disaffection, there is a glimmer of hope that the incoming administration may bring about much-needed change.

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Building Strong Democracies: Elections, Lawmaking, and Civic Education 

By Alejandra Vadillo

This summer, I had the privilege to carry out my fellowship with International IDEA in Panama City, Panama. Working closely with the Institute of Democratic Studies (INED) at the Electoral Tribunal of Panama, I collaborated with some of the sharpest minds in the field to tackle complex issues facing Panama’s democracy, as well as others around the world.

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Representation, Rights, and Resistance

By Andreana Faucette

When I accepted the offer to join the University of Texas’ Government Department and International IDEA in Panama City for a summer, friends and family alike routinely prodded me with the same series of questions, akin to: “Why are you going to Panama?” Many mistakenly thought I was headed here for vacation, while many more simply failed to grasp my reasoning for choosing to spend a summer interning in a place away from home. On the surface, the answer was fairly straightforward. I had spent time there previously, have family ties to the region, and enjoyed my previous visit to the country. But more importantly than that, I was eager to learn, and found this fellowship program to be a unique opportunity to do just that. Over the course of my time interning for International IDEA at the Electoral Tribunal’s Institute of Democratic Studies, though, I’ve surpassed even my own expectations of learning more about the country by integrating myself into the Panamanian community.

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What Will Be the Future of Democracies?

By Maria Mercedes Gómez

My internship working for International IDEA was a mixture of personal and professional development in Panama City. I had previously worked on governmental and academic projects in Latin America, but working directly with an intergovernmental organization took this experience to a completely different level. Not only did I have the opportunity to develop two amazing projects regarding the relationships between democracy and gender and democracy and security, but I was also able to attend important events regarding recent elections like those in Panama and Venezuela.

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AI and Democracy in Latin America

By Bourne

When I first accepted this internship, I immediately saw parallels between Panama City and Austin: two capital cities with amazing nightlife, an incredible mix of biodiversity and modern cityscapes, and the most mouth-watering food at every turn. Now, after spending a month working at the Latin America Regional Office of International IDEA, Panamá has lived up to every expectation, and my time here has catapulted my career in the right direction.

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The Value of Field Research for Democracy

By Ariana Guerrero

My time in Panama has been enriching and filled with personal and professional growth. My first task was acclimating to a new city and to commuting and having a full-time job in such a diverse city. I loved practicing my Spanish in a professional setting through my internship. This was the first time I had the opportunity to speak my native language outside my home so extensively and freely for an extended period of time. Since my Mexican accent is different from that of my fellow Panamanian coworkers and neighbors, it was exciting to see how cultures can be similar and still unique.

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Embedded Scholars Join Election Delegation in Panama

Fellows Ariana Guerrero and Paulina Licon from the UT Embedded Scholars Program participated in post-election assessments in Panama this week in a delegation led by the Electoral Tribunal of Panama and the Institute of Democratic Studies (INED), evaluating initiatives implemented during Panama’s national election held 5 May 2024. Panama is one of at least 73 countries globally holding elections this year in what has been dubbed a global elections super-cycle, with half the world’s population going to the polls this year.

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Embedded Scholars Win Democracy Research Award

Fellows in UT’s Embedded Scholars Program won an award for their research conducted in the spring Embedded Scholars class prepping them for field work in democracy assistance this summer. Fellows Andreana Faucette and Paulina Licon won the 2024 Patman Center Research Award for Advancing Democracy, which recognizes “exceptional insight and dedication to advancing the cause of democracy.”

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UT Sends 2024 Embedded Scholars to Latin America

UT’s Embedded Scholars program is sending its 2024 cohort to Latin America later this month to support democracy and electoral assistance programs this summer. With at least 73 countries—eight in Latin America alone—holding elections this year, amid rising polarization and democratic challenges, the stakes are high for national and international actors working to promote free and fair elections and robust democracy.

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Fellows Share Research on Participation, Culture, and Democratic Resilience

The 2024 fellows conducted research this spring on a range of pressing challenges and opportunities for democracies today. Students shared their research this week, giving presentations on the role of public participation, civic and constitutional culture, and democratic resilience in preserving and advancing democracy.

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Fellows Share Research on Disinformation and Backsliding

In their internship class this spring, the 2024 fellows conducted research on key challenges facing democracies today. Their research assessed current findings on these challenges globally and the sociopolitical, legal, and constitutional dynamics shaping these issues in Latin America. Today, students presented their research on disinformation in elections and democratic disaffection and backsliding.

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Video Diary: Day in the Life of Fellows in Panama

UT fellow Matthew Martin and International IDEA provide a video tour of a day in the life of fellows working for International IDEA in Panama. Matt discusses his work analyzing constitutional performance and takes us on their visit to the National Archives of Panama, exploring the political and cultural history of Panama.

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Understanding Political Risk

By Frances Parra

As my time in Panama came to an end, I was tasked with the professional culmination of my internship, as well as the goodbyes to the place and people I called home for the entirety of the summer. My research for International IDEA had explored topics such as political risk, governance, and foreign policy in Latin American countries. Although my primary focus was Latin America, my investigations delved into the foreign relations of Latin American countries with regions around the world, including Asia, Europe, and North America. Overall, it sought to understand these topics as they pertain to democratic governance and society in Latin America today and in the future.

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IDEA & Electoral Tribunal Share UT Student Work in Latin America

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the Institute of Democratic Studies (INED) at the Electoral Tribunal of Panama released a video sharing the work of University of Texas students who interned with them in Summer 2023 as part of the UT Government Department’s Embedded Scholars program.

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Comms, Elections, and Personal Transformation

By Adriel Bustillos

Embarking on an internship with International IDEA in Panama City was been a remarkable and transformative experience. Over the course of my time in Panama, I had the opportunity to contribute to vital projects, including designing new communications materials for IDEA’s regional work and conducting research on elections and runoff processes in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Beyond professional growth, the internship also allowed me to immerse myself in the vibrant Panamanian culture and expand my horizons. The overall experience gave me a new sense of learning, but one that will always be held close to my heart in years to come.

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The State of Democracy in Latin America

By Francisco Alvarado-Quiroz

What we know collectively as “Latin America” contains, depending on whom you ask and how you count, some 21-plus countries. The landscapes contain high-altitude cities, untouched jungles, and beautiful beaches. While you could get away communicating in Spanish throughout most of the region, there are an uncountable number of languages and dialects.

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