This interdisciplinary program, with a focus on Argentina and Latin America, is designed to equip domestic and international graduate students with a comprehensive understanding of development and public policy. It is open to those currently enrolled in a graduate program in Social Sciences at an accredited university. Emphasizing social and macroeconomics policy-making, the program offers:
A thorough exploration of social policy and poverty alleviation strategies in developing countries, equipping students with the tools to design, implement, and assess the impact of targeted policies on vulnerable populations.
An in-depth examination of macroeconomic policy challenges in Latin America, fostering a deeper understanding of economic growth, labor markets, fiscal and monetary policy, and trade and industrial policy in the context of regional development.
A solid foundation in decision-making processes in public policy, enabling students to analyze and develop effective solutions to pressing social issues in the areas of education, health, social protection, and social security.
Program Structure __
3 independent courses taught in July
Students may take 1, 2 or the 3 courses.
33 contact hours per course
Taught in intensive modality.
4 days of class per week
Classes on Monday through Thursday, from 9 am to 6.30 pm.
Social Policy and Poverty in Developing Countries
Dates: July 1-4, 2024
This course focuses on social policies for poverty alliation in developing countries. The first part covers poverty measurement and causes; the second assesses different social policies; and the third, explores the policies’ structure and impacts, with an empasis on pandemic-related programs.
Prof: Leopoldo Tornarolli (M.Sc. in Economics, Universidad Nacional de La Plata)
Providing an in-depth look at macreoconomic challenges in developing regions like Latin America, this course explores economic growth and labor markets, with a focus on innovation; fiscal and monetary policies, including inflation and debt; and international trade, industrial policies and their social impact.
Prof: Eduardo Levy Yeyati (Civil Engineer, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Ph.D. in Economics, University of Pennsylvania).
This course combines theory and practice in social policy decision-making. The first part introduces policy-making processes and literature. The second, involves simulations and role-playing in health, education, social protection, and social security, to reflect on the complexities involved in policy-making.
Prof: Alejandro Bonvecchi (Ph.D. in Government, University of Essex).
Leopoldo Tornarolli (M.Sc. in Economics, Universidad Nacional de La Plata) is an Ordinary Adjunct Professor at the Department of Economics, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, and a Researcher at the Center for Distributive, Labor, and Social Studies (CEDLAS), Universidad Nacional de La Plata. He has also served as Senior Economist on Rural Poverty Analysis at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). His consulting experience includes work with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and various governments in Latin America. He has published research papers on topics related to poverty, inequality, labor markets, and social policies in numerous journals, as well as several books and book chapters.
Eduardo Levy Yeyati
Eduardo Levy Yeyati (Civil Engineer, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Ph.D. in Economics, University of Pennsylvania) is a full Professor at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT), a visiting professor at the London School of Economics, an affiliated researcher at the Harvard Growth Lab and the Georgetown Americas Institute, a Principal Researcher at CONICET, a consulting member of CARI, and a member of the Editorial Committee of Americas Quarterly. In the past, he served as Dean of the School of Government at UTDT, where he founded the Center for the Evaluation of Evidence-Based Policies (CEPE), director of the Investment and Foreign Trade Bank (BICE), head of research for Latin America and head of emerging market strategy at Barclays Capital, Senior Financial Advisor at the World Bank for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Chief Economist at the Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina, among other positions. He also coordinated the Argentina 2030 Program for the Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Nation and was the honorary president of the National Council for Production and the think tank CIPPEC.
Alejandro Bonvecchi
Alejandro Bonvecchi (Ph.D. in Government, University of Essex) is an Ordinary Adjunct Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Studies, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, and an Independent Researcher at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina. He has held various academic positions, including Visiting Professor at Yale University, Lecturer at the University of Essex, Fulbright Fellow in the Institute for International Economic Policy at George Washington University, Visiting Fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at Notre Dame University, DAAD Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, and Junior Scholar in the Study of Democracy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He has published five books and numerous articles in prominent academic journals. Additionally, he has worked as a consultant for the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the UNDP.
Advanced Finance for Strategists
An international expansion, the leap into a new technology, a company acquisition or a merger, the sale of a subsidiary—all are strategic moves that have an enormous impact on shareholder value. This advanced seminar explains how CEOs can accurately gauge the financial impact of strategic decisions by using cutting-edge simulation tools. Participants will learn:
How to find out whether a prospective strategy will actually create value for shareholders;
How to quantify downside risk—the probability of a potential loss lurking behind an investment project;
How to use a sophisticated simulation software to gauge the risk of a new venture;
How to prototype growth patterns in new ventures in order to price private equity deals;
How to estimate synergies in cross-border acquisitions;
How to price, finance and negotiate mergers and acquisitions in emerging markets.
Pre-Requisites
An MBA-level course on Corporate Finance. Students must be skilled at computing EV, NPV and IRR.
International Business Strategies: Challenges and Opportunities in Emerging Markets
This course is focused on learning and developing talent management and self-knowledge skills for successfully working in diverse cultural environments. Special focus is placed on Argentinian and Latin American specific traits and particular challenges.
Main objectives:
Learning how to do business in Latin America:
Etiquette: what to do and what to avoid when dealing with business people in LatAm countries
Intra-regional cultural and business differences
Social issues across LatAm.
Country risks.
Gender and class differences.
Political differences.
Humor.
Religious beliefs.
Cultural sensitivity.
Cultural tools: comparison of countries.
Understanding and using conceptual models to manage organizational and personal change. Application of models to compare LatAm with the USA.
Acquiring expertise and tools for efficiently leading people, focus in LatAm.
Obtaining leadership skills: The leader as coach.
Developing cross-cultural experience: Four Steps to Integration.
Discussing cultural diversity: countries, generations, gender (crystal ceiling), sexual (LGBTQ), etc. How to approach diversity in LatAm vs. USA approach. Multinational corporations influence.
Understanding how to manage uncertainty.
Acquiring and practicing communication: Five pillars of coaching.
Gaining confidence to work in foreign countries and cultures.
Learning about blockers and facilitators of the creativity process: IDEA test.
Team working and understanding how to become a high performance team.
Operations Strategy and Emerging Markets
Operations Strategy in Emerging Markets is aimed at broadening your understanding of operating challenges well beyond topics covered in core courses, and of specific challenges that arise when operating in developing economies in general and LatAm in particular. Looking at businesses ranging from heavy manufacturing to biotechnology, and covering many of the main industries in the region, the course focuses on the value created and captured by different operating strategies. You will acquire frameworks that enable you to map and analyze the demands of different competitive environments, and become familiar with the menu of potential operating strategies. You will learn how these strategies must be designed to fit with the particular requirements of various competitive environments, as well as your company's competitive strategy.
You will develop the ability to identify and frame complex strategic issues in operations, design operating strategies that address those issues, and take effective action to achieve the full potential of the decisions. The course will expose you to a range of concepts, tools, and techniques for addressing issues such as the design, management and evolution of operating networks, the selection and implementation of new technologies, and the creation of operating systems that effectively connect operations with customers, distribution channels, and suppliers while preparing for competitor’s reactions. The course gives special emphasis to providing you with the tools you will need to participate effectively in these decisions early in your career, especially on global assignments.
Important: this course follows the case method of teaching. As most of you may know, the case method of teaching is based on the idea that you, as a group, will discover the issues and learn from the ideas of others in the class. There will be no lectures, and, therefore, it is essential that you come to class prepared to share your insights and analysis with others. Since the courses schedule is intense, there will not be enough time to read all the assigned materials during the week of class when we will meet. Therefore, it is essential that you read all the assigned materials before arriving to Argentina.
Marketing Strategies for Low Income Consumers in Emerging Markets
The world is becoming more integrated and competitive. Many emerging markets are rapidly gaining importance and caching up the developed world (e.g., International Monetary Fund, 2017). Not surprisingly the G8 has become the G20. Nevertheless, the emerging world is far from homogeneous, with a lot of cultural differences, and a very different market conditions.
Unfortunately, current marketing strategies are based on the characteristics of developed markets, where most of the academic studies are based on. In emerging markets, social, political and economic characteristics are significantly different. For example, about seventy percent of the population belongs to the low income consumer socio-economic level.
In this course you will learn four business models to serve low-income consumers that apply to Argentina and Latin America. It ranges from models that are more similar to the conventional marketing thinking and practice to radically new strategies involving a wide diversity of non-market actors in a variety of settlements. The course will provide concepts, tools, and techniques that allow doing business in a way that provides truly beneficial products and services.
The course, will have guest speakers, present the different models, and discuss case studies.
A thorough exploration of social policy and poverty alleviation strategies in developing countries, equipping students with the tools to design, implement, and assess the impact of targeted policies on vulnerable populations.
An in-depth examination of macroeconomic policy challenges in Latin America, fostering a deeper understanding of economic growth, labor markets, fiscal and monetary policy, and trade and industrial policy in the context of regional development.
A solid foundation in decision-making processes in public policy, enabling students to analyze and develop effective solutions to pressing social issues in the areas of education, health, social protection, and social security.
