Prof. Moisés Villamil Balestro (center) poses for a group photo with Guo Hai (left), Executive Dean of IPP, and Zhao Wei (right), Senior Research Fellow of IPP.
In March 2026, Prof. Dr. Moisés Villamil Balestro, Full Professor at the University of Brasília and Director of the Research Group on Comparative Studies in Economic Sociology, was invited to IPP for a three-month residential research program. A distinguished scholar in public policy, economic sociology and industrial policy, Prof. Balestro has built an illustrious academic career spanning decades, with a wealth of research and practical experience in Latin American studies, agribusiness management and public opinion research.
Since 2006, Prof. Balestro has served as a Full Professor at the University of Brasília, where he has long led the Research Group on Comparative Studies in Economic Sociology. He is also a senior researcher at the National Research Network on Public Policy, Strategy and Development (INCT/PPED) and has taught at the Graduation Program on Comparative Studies in the Americas at the University of Brasília’s Institute of Social Sciences since 2007. His academic footprint extends internationally, including a visiting scholar stint at Goethe University Frankfurt from 2014 to 2015. Proficient in Portuguese , English , Spanish , German and French, with basic Italian skills, he boasts strong cross-cultural research and communication capabilities.
In research, Prof. Balestro has led and participated in a host of influential scientific research projects funded by renowned Brazilian institutions such as CAPES and CNPq. His ongoing research focuses on green transition policies for electric mobility and green hydrogen in Brazil and Mexico, and he has also delved into the institutional determinants of Brazil's industrial innovation process, drawing lessons from Germany’s advanced experience. A prolific academic, he has published numerous high-quality papers in top international core journals including the Journal of Public Administration and the Brazilian Journal of Sociology. His representative work Deconstructing Industrial Policy: Ideas and Coordination between the State and Enterprises (2019) has become an influential reference in the field, and his research on state capacity and industrial policy, Latin American economic development and global value chain upgrading has yielded far-reaching academic outcomes, combining profound theoretical depth with practical policy value.
On March 12, 2026, Guo Hai, Executive Dean of IPP, introduced Prof. Balestro at the welcome tea reception.
During his stay, Prof. Balestro will co-host a series of academic seminars and deliver special lectures with IPP researchers. The events will focus on key topics including the practice of green transition policies in Latin American countries, industrial policy and state capacity building, and Sino-Brazilian public policy comparison. He will share his cutting-edge research findings, methodologies and practical insights from decades of Latin American public policy research, fostering in-depth academic exchanges between the two sides.
As one of China’s top think tanks, IPP is committed to building an open and inclusive international academic exchange platform and conducting in-depth cooperation with world-renowned universities and research institutions. Prof. Balestro’s visit is a key initiative for IPP to deepen academic and research exchanges with Latin America, a region of growing strategic importance. This collaboration will inject a valuable international perspective into IPP’s research on Latin American public policy, green transition policy and industrial policy, and further strengthen academic ties and cooperative research between China and Brazil in the field of public policy, laying a solid foundation for more in-depth Sino-Latin American academic exchanges in the future.
Prof. Balestro conducts academic exchanges with IPP researchers
