New Semester, New Classes, New Ideas

I have recently begun taking International Political Economy and Latin American Development as part of an effort to broaden my political science horizons beyond my theory, international relations and domestic political background. So far, I have found these courses to be interesting yet challenging. I have also begun contemplating a new career path working in Latin America as part of an International Development team, or as a consultant. Although admittedly, I, like many others, am not exactly sure what it is consultants really do.

In IPE, I am developing a theoretical knowledge of economic policy decisions made by governments, informed by the historical evidence of past economic crises and epochs, that will enable me to more fully understand the mechanisms and processes propelling the global economy. It was also provide me with an understanding of the role of the World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund. Lastly, IPE is imparting me with the knowledge I need to understand the attempts made by developing countries to modernize their economies and improve the economic well-being of their citizens.

In “Latin American Development”, I am learning about the previously mentioned paths to economic modernization with a particular regional focus that I am very interested in. If you have made it to this blog, you have probably guessed what that region is. So far, we have studied some of Latin American countries’ attempts at economic development, particularly the ISI and “Washington Consensus” model experiments. I very much enjoy this class, and hope that it will impart to me the knowledge I will need to be successful as a profession tasked with addressing this issue.

As a result of these classes, this blog will take a little turn this semester away from strictly political diplomatic events towards international political economic and international development events. As my understanding of these issues develops, the reader should expect that my contributions will as well.

My experience with the Jose Figueroa case has led me to believe that Canadian government and private companies will need people better knowledgeable of the Latin American political and economic contexts. Canada was weathered the 2008 Financial Crisis much better than many other countries. As a result, Canada has been able to accelerate its investment in Latin America, particularly in the natural resource sectors. I believe that our government and these companies will need people to help them understand the countries they are going to negotiate agreements with or begin investing in. I have taken 2 year of Spanish language training to help me towards that end.

My belief in this regional knowledge was recently reaffirmed by an Alumnus I met at a Speed Networking event last night. I attended this event as part of the UBC Arts Trimentoring Program that I am participating in. Andrew works for a Consultancy firm that operates in this region, advising local companies and governments on how to preserve archaeological sites from damage from new construction projects. Andrew mentioned that he would love to find an applicant who was fluent in Spanish and also knowledgeable of the area (he happened to be working on a project in the Dominican Republic).

If you have any information about International Development jobs, either based in Canada or in Latin America, please comment on this post and let me know!