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I am an Associate Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at University College London and an Associate Researcher at Sciences Po’s Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE), where I completed my PhD in Political Science (January 2026).
I am an Associate Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at University College London and an Associate Researcher at Sciences Po’s Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE), where I completed my PhD in Political Science (January 2026).
My research lies at the intersection of urban studies, comparative politics, and public policy, with a focus on land governance and local government bureaucracies in Latin America. My doctoral thesis, Intercurrence and the Politics of Land Regularization in Mexico City and São Paulo (1970s–2020s), develops a comparative historical analysis of institutional change in the governance of informal land tenure in Latin America’s largest cities. It shows how conflicts across overlapping institutional arrangements shape long-term policy trajectories and the distribution of urban land rights.
My research lies at the intersection of urban studies, comparative politics, and public policy, with a focus on land governance and local government bureaucracies in Latin America. My doctoral thesis, Intercurrence and the Politics of Land Regularization in Mexico City and São Paulo (1970s–2020s), develops a comparative historical analysis of institutional change in the governance of informal land tenure in Latin America’s largest cities. It shows how conflicts across overlapping institutional arrangements shape long-term policy trajectories and the distribution of urban land rights.
Before joining Sciences Po, I earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from the Getulio Vargas Foundation and a five-year Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the University of São Paulo. I have contributed to applied research projects with organizations including URBEM, Instituto Escolhas, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and CIPPEC. My professional experience also includes serving as an advisor to São Paulo City Hall and consulting for Cities Alliance and the World Bank Group on urban policy issues, including socio-environmental risks, transportation and mobility, food systems, and land governance.
Before joining Sciences Po, I earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from the Getulio Vargas Foundation and a five-year Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the University of São Paulo. I have contributed to applied research projects with organizations including URBEM, Instituto Escolhas, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and CIPPEC. My professional experience also includes serving as an advisor to São Paulo City Hall and consulting for Cities Alliance and the World Bank Group on urban policy issues, including socio-environmental risks, transportation and mobility, food systems, and land governance.
In addition to my research, I have taught master’s-level courses in public policy and management, qualitative methods, and urban governance at University College London, Université Paris Cité, and Sciences Po Paris, where I also coordinated the Cities are Back in Town research seminar series for two years. My research has been recognized with a grant from the IJURR Foundation, and I have held visiting positions at El Colegio de México’s Center for Demographic, Urban, and Environmental Studies (2022, 2023) and at the University of Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations (2024–2025).
In addition to my research, I have taught master’s-level courses in public policy and management, qualitative methods, and urban governance at University College London, Université Paris Cité, and Sciences Po Paris, where I also coordinated the Cities are Back in Town research seminar series for two years. My research has been recognized with a grant from the IJURR Foundation, and I have held visiting positions at El Colegio de México’s Center for Demographic, Urban, and Environmental Studies (2022, 2023) and at the University of Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations (2024–2025).
marcela [dot] alonsoferreira [at] sciencespo [dot] fr googlescholar bluesky linkedin researchgate
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