Maria Gabriela Palacio Ludena

I am an Assistant Professor (University Lecturer) in Modern History at the Latin American Studies Programme - Institute for History. I hold a PhD in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS).

My research contributes to interdisciplinary work on development studies, with a focus on social policy. Situated within development studies and informed by political economy, anthropology of the state, and sociology of gender and race, it seeks to understand how social policy shapes social and political identities. Most of my empirical research has focused on Ecuador, though I have written more broadly about Latin America.