GRADE celebrates 40 years of foundation on the sidelines of Peru’s bicentennial
When GRADE turned 35 in 2015, we researchers produced a set of research reports on key issues for the country’s development. These works, gathered in the book Research for development in Peru, sought to satisfy the demand for knowledge aimed at fostering a more informed debate on public policy in Peru. In the foreword of the publication, Javier Escobal highlighted the challenge of being aware that the evidence will never speak for itself. In this sense, the chapters were a contribution “to the construction of medium-range theories that allow unveiling the implicit black boxes in the impact evaluations of policies and programs.”
Five years later, we celebrate our 40th anniversary in anticipation of the country’s bicentennial. This historical date invites us to ask ourselves about the impact of GRADE’s trajectory in the last four decades of Peruvian history and about our future projection. Our fortieth anniversary is an opportunity to strengthen the link between academic production and the design of public policies adapted to the real needs of the country.
Today we celebrate our positioning as an institution dedicated to rigorous and high-quality academic research in Peru, as well as the development of skills and talents. However, there are also challenges adapted to times of high demand for evidence-based knowledge. We aim to reach broader audiences and adapt the knowledge produced by GRADE members to digital formats that meet the knowledge needs of new generations.
As part of the anniversary, a document is being prepared focusing on the situation in which GRADE was born and its role in the different contexts that the country has faced during these 40 years. Likewise, we cannot ignore the various challenges that the current context of health and economic emergency due to COVID-19 has revealed. During this context, our researchers have contributed through studies, media articles, and public discussions to try to understand the impact of the pandemic on various spheres of society and to provide guidelines for policy responses. In this sense, another of the celebration activities will be the production of a series of essays that will seek to reflect on key issues for the reforms that the country requires in the medium and long term to overcome the crisis.
We invite you to participate in this celebration. Follow our website and social networks to find out about these and other activities and products that will be shared in a timely manner with the general public. For obvious reasons, we have postponed any other type of celebration to focus on refining our contributions and making them known, as described above. We will have news soon.
