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| Institutional Development |
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" GRADE se ha consolidado como uno de los centros de
investigación social más importantes del Perú
y de América Latina "
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As a result of research done during the last two decades, GRADE has consolidated itself as one of the most important social research centers in Peru and in Latin America. The institution's efforts have been oriented to achieving academic excellence and to ensuring that its work is useful in formulating and implementing social and economic policies. It has sought in various ways to build bridges between academic research and public action.
GRADE is governed by an Assembly of Associates, in which most of the institution's Senior Researchers participate. The Assembly sets the research topics, defines development strategies and guarantees GRADE's independence. The Assembly also elects an Executive Committee, responsible for supervising institutional operations for two-year periods. The Executive Director and the Research Director coordinate GRADE's projects and activities, and they also are in charge of editorial and publication functions.
GRADE researchers have traditionally combined research and academic work with public service. All the institution's researchers participate in local and international academic activities, and they publish their work in books, working documents and international journals. Most GRADE researchers teach part-time in universities in Lima and the provinces. Simultaneously, and in varying ways, they participate in activities linked to public service. In some cases, they leave GRADE temporarily to assume a public post. Many of them also participate in boards, consultative commissions, dialogue groups and national councils organized around topics related to their respective research areas. This allows them to apply their experience and knowledge gained in research to problems in the public arena.
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| Construction and institutional development |
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To have an influence on public activity, conduct sustained research, shape researchers and collaborate directly with public affairs requires an institution that offers its personnel appropriate conditions for their professional development while they fulfill the institutional mission. Although GRADE is an organization that obtains resources from various institutions and organizations for specific projects, the researchers' work has enabled the creation of physical infrastructure and an administrative, information and communications system that allows them to advance in fulfilling its mission.
Aside from conducting scientific research, the researchers who work permanently in GRADE have taken responsibility for seeking and managing research funds, disseminating and making known the results of their work among various audiences, supporting the public sector in the formulation of policies and contributing to the institution's development. All these activities—crucial to doing high quality, independent research with impact on policies formulation—can rarely be done by a single person. Therefore, GRADE's researchers complement each other so that institutionally their research on specific topics can be maintained while they simultaneously follow the usually long, winding and unpredictable path required for the formulation of public policies.
To fulfill its institutional mission ever more effectively GRADE's constant objective is to expand its capacity to do high quality research, to increase its impact in the public sphere and to increase and diversify its sources and forms of financing. This requires continuing to attract professionals of the highest qualifications and ensuring financing for independent research for specific projects. Moreover, GRADE has an active policy for preparing young researchers, which consolidates their initial preparation, thereby facilitating and supporting graduate studies abroad, and promoting their later reincorporation into research within the country. |
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| Quality standards and its importance for research |
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The quality of GRADE's work is based primarily on the skills, talent and commitment of its researchers. GRADE established formal mechanisms years ago to incorporate Senior Researchers into the institution, taking into consideration academic credentials and the professionals' interest and commitment to research applied to the debate and design of public policies. The team of Senior Researchers is made up mainly of Ph.D. from universities in the United States and Europe.
On the other hand, GRADE promotes interchange among its researchers by means of seminars, informal gatherings, joint projects and review processes among peers to ensure the quality of academic work produced within the institution. Project advances are discussed in informal seminars every fifteen days, and books and working documents are published after a rigorous review among peers, be they GRADE researchers or from other Peruvian and foreign institutions. The studies done by the institution's researchers are frequently sent to national and international academic journals for dissemination.
GRADE researchers actively participate in diverse institutional research networks, national as well as international. This allows their work to be presented to professionals from other institutions. Moreover, GRADE encourages its researchers, particularly young researchers, to attend courses on diverse topics, and it promotes visits by academics from abroad to give seminars and to engage in related activities. GRADE also encourages visits by young researchers who are doing their doctoral theses in foreign universities and need to do field work in Peru and by young provincial and foreign professionals who need to do an internship in the institution.
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