By Bela Madrid, UT Vocal Performance major
Latin America has always felt like a destination that was somehow both far away and familiar at the same time. The opportunity to live and work here has always been enticing. Coming from a background studying music, I am used to exploring different cultures, histories and political environments through emotion, storytelling and poetry. Engaging in areas of social research and data science felt somewhat outside my scope of expertise, but I have come to realize it’s simply the other side of the same coin. As we round out week five, I have found myself reflecting on my experiences in Panama and feeling excited to see what month two has in store.
Continue reading Creating analytical and evidence-based data to advance policy discussion in Latin America →
By Veronica Martin, UT graduate in Government with a focus on Latin American politics and democracy
My work at CID Gallup was marked by a significant amount of creative autonomy, an abundance of meticulous political research, and an evolving adoration for democracy and national security. At once, we were split into two groups with the task of developing a research study on either of two assigned topics: the aging Panamanian population or the “sandwich generation” of women. Given an impressive amount of autonomy with our studies, our group of four ventured upon cracking open the pensions and retirement system of Panama by analyzing demographic statistics, literature, and fiscal data. While the research was quite dense, I can now answer any question any skeptic may have about Panamanian retirement (when it comes up in normal everyday conversation, which is often).
Continue reading National Security, Contraband Smuggling, and U.S. Intervention →
A research exchange program at the University of Texas at Austin supporting student work abroad in democratic and constitutional development