Sarah Cordero

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Biography

Sarah Cordero is currently completing her doctoral dissertation at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT with a focus on economic development and sustainability. She works as an International consultant in sustainability related issues. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard. From 2012 to 2014 she was Director of the IES Abroad program “Social and Environmental Change” in San Jose, Costa Rica. She served previously as Dean of the Business School at the Latin American University of Science and Technology (ULACIT) in San Jose. She also served for more than 12 years as Professor of Management Consulting Practice, Integrated Project Assessment, and Ecoefficiency Management at INCAE, one of the leading business schools in Latin America. Sarah has designed and participated in many international workshops. She has co-published four books in Spanish and English, written numerous articles in books and journals as well as produce abundant teaching material.

RESEARCH

In her research, Sarah is studying the theory and dynamics of policy processes to slow and reverse deforestation in Costa Rica and Mexico Specifically, Sarah is examining the use of regulation and economic instruments in forestry policy. Her work incorporates interviews with policy makers to understand their motivations, obstacles, and other relevant criteria that shape the policy process. She is also analyzing the policy process in each case and reviewing each country’s regulation, such as the introduction of the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme, as well as other instruments that accompany this type of scheme. The analysis will allow her to advance the academic literature on forestry policy, and to identify policy recommendations to improve forest governance. She will make recommendations on the types of forestry policies, as well as the processes that improve a country’s environmental status.