Faculty Voices

Ricardo Hausmann, the founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab and the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School, was Minister of Planning of Venezuela (1992-1993). Here, he reflects on the crisis in his country following a disputed presidential election which most say was stolen by Venezuela's autocratic regime.

As protests rage in Venezuela and allegations of electoral fraud mount, Steve Levitsky, Professor of Government at Harvard University and Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, discusses the challenging situation.

Christina Warinner, Professor of the Social Sciences in the Harvard Department of Anthropology and Sally Starling Seaver Associate Professor at the Radcliffe Institute, has uncovered lost stories about the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itza. With techniques like ancient DNA, isotopes and bioarchaeology, she and an international team of genetic scientists have made some startling discoveries that contradict the myth of sacrificed virgins—the offering of little boys, particularly twins.

Natalia Garbiras-Diaz, an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, examines peace processes in Colombia. She's particularly interested in the formation of citizens' and excombatants' attitude towards peace agreements and their role in stabilizing peace in post-conflict situations.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned April 25, clearing the way towards new elections. Dr. Louise Ivers, Harvard professor of global health and social medicine, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has devoted 21 years of her life to Haiti. Here, she talks about the current situation in the country and how it affects ordinary people.

Paulina Alberto, Harvard Professor of African and African American Studies and of History, discusses her work with Afro-Latin American lives, thought and politics, and why creating narratives about that history is important.

Michael Chu, faculty at Harvard Business School, talks on Faculty Voices about how businesses can be instrumental in providing goods and services to low-income and middle-class people in Latin America.

Thomas Bossert, Senior Lecturer. Emeritus in the Department of Global Health and Population of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, reflects on his career trajectory and the lessons he’s learned as a “traveling scholar” who has worked as a researcher, teacher and advisor in almost 80 countries around the world after starting as a Latin Americanist.

Steve Levitsky, the David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and Professor of Government at Harvard University and Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard, discusses the recent landslide election of far-right Javier Milei as Argentina’s next president.

Daniel Nocera, the Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, talks about a biofertilizer that has the potential to revolutionize world agriculture and save energy in the process.