The workshop brought together economists, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists and historians to discuss their projects.

We have already held the first two workshops to strengthen the TREES research community. These two meetings brought together researchers who received financial support through the Grant Fund I and II calls for proposals. The researchers came together to share ideas, receive feedback and enrich their work.

Watch the video summary of the first Grant Fund workshop:

On May 7, 2025, Grant Fund II researchers were at the Universidad de los Andes with a common goal: to hear how their colleagues are studying inequalities from multiple disciplinary perspectives and contexts. The meeting served to share advances, discuss questions and strengthen an academic community committed to understanding inequalities in the global south.

“The workshop is fantastic because it is an interdisciplinary team in which one finds economists, historians, political scientists, lawyers talking about the same topic: inequality,” said James Torres, professor of History and Geography at the Universidad de los Andes.

During the event, researchers presented their ongoing projects and received feedback. Discussing ideas at an early stage allows them to improve approaches and strengthen analytical frameworks. “I really liked the comparative perspective. For example, one of the professors suggested we review classism versus caste in India, which we hadn't thought about,” commented Natalia Amaya, researcher at Fundación Prolongar.

“It is very constructive to receive comments from colleagues at this stage, when the project is not yet finished. Concerns that one suspected the work might have, weaknesses, but also suggestions for improvement,” Emiliano Tealde, economist and professor at the Catholic University of Uruguay.

Participants discussed the role of the state in land distribution, the reconstruction of the place of women in economic history, the dynamics of labor informality, the limits of social mobility, the multiple cultural dimensions of inequality and the challenges of applying models from the global north in Latin America.

The workshop was also an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between researchers from different disciplines. This approach seeks to broaden theoretical frameworks on inequality and generate useful evidence for public policies and citizen initiatives. “We want to look at inequality not only from its strictly economic dimension. This has produced a very rich mix of perspectives on its causes and consequences,” explains Leopoldo Fergusson, TREES Research Leader.

With some of these investigations already published, learn more about them in our research repository, With the Grant Fund III workshop underway, we confirm our commitment to contribute from rigorous knowledge to build more equitable societies.

Watch the video summary of the second Grant Fund workshop:

In March 2025, Juan Sebastián Lemos, a student in the PEG Master’s in Economics program at the Universidad de los Andes, spent a month on an academic exchange at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. With the support of TREES, this experience contributed to his development as a researcher, broadening his academic and personal perspectives. What was this experience like for him? Below, we share his account.

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Thanks to the support of TREES, I had the opportunity to do an academic stay at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an opportunity that marked both my professional and personal growth and that leaves me with experiences and learning that otherwise I would not have been able to live.

On a personal level, this experience transformed my perspective on what is possible. Studying at Harvard had never been an even imaginable option for me, but today it has become a real dream that I strive for at work every day. Living in another country, adapting to a new culture and communicating in a different language was a major challenge, as I had not had the opportunity to do so before. However, this was also an opportunity to broaden my knowledge, question my place in the world, the opportunities and privileges I have and strengthen my autonomy.

Professionally, the visit allowed me to make faster and more substantial progress on my research project. I attended seminars and classes taught by leading professors in educational research, which enriched my ideas and opened new paths for further expanding my research agenda. I participated in discussions with doctoral students who shared their experiences with me, which allowed me to better understand how academic careers are built in international contexts. I learned new research methodologies and approaches that complement my previous training and gained confidence in my ability to contribute, based on my experience, to discussions and decisions regarding the research project I am working on.

Finally, I was also able to establish links with students and researchers from different countries who share similar interests. At the same time, being surrounded by such skilled people in such a demanding environment was a challenge, but also a motivation to reflect on the quality of my education in the eyes of a future international projection. In short, this experience gave me more than knowledge: it gave me clarity about my vocation, new tools for my academic and professional development, and the impetus to keep striving.