Summer School: Rethinking Development in Latin America III is an intensive three-week summer school (October 5 to October 23, 2026) devoted to critically reassessing development strategies in Latin America from a progressive, heterodox, and interdisciplinary perspective. The school is grounded in the Latin American structuralist tradition, while engaging contemporary debates on macroeconomics, inequality, industrial policy, democracy, and environmental sustainability. The program will feature the participation of globally recognized scholars and leading voices in development debates, including keynote contributions by internationally renowned academics such as Branko Milanovic.
The motivation of the school stems from both an intellectual conviction and a political urgency. Latin American development continues to be shaped by persistent technological, territorial, and distributive gaps that cannot be overcome through market forces alone. At the same time, the limits and tensions of recent progressive government experiences call for an updated development agenda—one that combines analytical rigor, empirical evidence, and critical self-reflection to confront external constraints, productivity challenges, social inequality, and ecological transitions.
Building on two key antecedents: the international seminar “Rethinking Development in Latin America and the Caribbean from Mexico”(2024) and the first edition of the Summer School held in 2025. The 2026 edition will take place in Buenos Aires, hosted by the Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM). The school is an in-person only program. The program will be structured around thematic axes including economic theory and macro-trends; growth, macroeconomics, and structural
Summer School: Rethinking Development in Latin America III is an intensive three-week summer school (October 5 to October 23, 2026) devoted to critically reassessing development strategies in Latin America from a progressive, heterodox, and interdisciplinary perspective. The school is grounded in the Latin American structuralist tradition, while engaging contemporary debates on macroeconomics, inequality, industrial policy, democracy, and environmental sustainability. The program will feature the participation of globally recognized scholars and leading voices in development debates, including keynote contributions by internationally renowned academics such as Branko Milanovic.
The motivation of the school stems from both an intellectual conviction and a political urgency. Latin American development continues to be shaped by persistent technological, territorial, and distributive gaps that cannot be overcome through market forces alone. At the same time, the limits and tensions of recent progressive government experiences call for an updated development agenda—one that combines analytical rigor, empirical evidence, and critical self-reflection to confront external constraints, productivity challenges, social inequality, and ecological transitions.
Building on two key antecedents: the international seminar “Rethinking Development in Latin America and the Caribbean from Mexico” (2024) and the first edition of the Summer School held in 2025. The 2026 edition will take place in Buenos Aires, hosted by the Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM). The school is an in-person only program. The program will be structured around thematic axes including economic theory and macro-trends; growth, macroeconomics, and structural change; fiscal policy and tax justice; innovation, industrial policy, and international trade; environment and development; democracy and development; and the history of Latin American economic thought.
Academic activities will combine lectures and conference-debates by senior scholars and policymakers, interactive classes, applied workshops (including AI and machine learning tools for research, and energy and sustainability indicators), and a field visit to observe territorial scientific and technological capabilities. The school deliberately promotes dialogue across disciplines and sectors, bringing together economists, social scientists, policymakers, public officials, labor representatives, business actors, and civil society organizations.
A strategic objective of the school is to function as a laboratory for 21st-century development policy in Latin America: training young researchers and technical cadres capable of connecting theory, data, and real-world policy challenges; incubating research projects and policy notes oriented toward action; and fostering an interdisciplinary and intergenerational community committed to rethinking development from the region.
How to Apply
Applications to the Summer School: Rethinking Development in Latin America III will be open to graduate students (Master’s and PhD), early-career researchers, and practitioners from economics and related social sciences, with a strong interest in development, political economy, and public policy in Latin America.
The program will be conducted in Spanish and English. Applicants are expected to have working proficiency in both languages, as lectures, classes, and discussions will take place in either language throughout the program.
The call for applications will be open from March 10 to May 15.
Interested applicants will be required to submit an online application including:
-
a letter of reference from an academic supervisor or institutional mentor (such as a thesis advisor, fellowship supervisor, or research director),
-
a brief CV,
-
and a short description of current or planned research projects.
Applications will be evaluated on the basis of academic background, relevance of research interests to the themes of the school, and the potential contribution to a plural and interdisciplinary learning environment. The selection process aims to ensure diversity in terms of disciplinary backgrounds, countries, and institutional affiliations.
Selected participants from outside the Buenos Aires metropolitan area will receive accommodation coverage and partial financial support for travel expenses, subject to availability of funds.
