Uniting
Research and Policy

Alonso Gutierrez Olivares is an MPP student from Mexico at the Harris School of Public Policy. Growing up in Mexico City, Gutierrez witnessed inequality closely, which made him aware of the "different worlds" people in Mexico live in and the harmful effects inequality has on vulnerable populations, particularly the youth transitioning into adulthood. This issue led him to develop a deep interest in institutional development and capacity building for institutions to provide quality public services for everyone to address social exclusion and strengthen social cohesion and community development.

Prior to his graduate studies at the University of Chicago, Gutierrez worked as an Associate Research Manager at Innovations for Poverty Action's (IPA) Mexico office. At IPA, he participated in designing and implementing research studies and process and impact evaluations on education, security, and justice, specifically overseeing the data collection process and data analysis. Gutierrez oversaw the evaluation of early childhood development programs to provide teachers and caregivers with the knowledge and skills to help enhance children's cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional growth in public schools. He also worked on projects to assist state Attorney General Offices throughout Mexico, helping them improve their tools and processes for investigating crime. Additionally, he participated in the evaluation of the implementation of a partnership-based, data-driven, focused deterrence strategy to reduce violence in a high-crime community in Mexico in collaboration with the Mexico City police.

Gutierrez holds a B.A. in Sociology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a Diploma in Qualitative Evaluation of Public Policies from the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE).