PhD candidate in Regional and Urban Planning
Email: p.j.navarrete@lse.ac.uk
Pablo holds an Architecture Degree (equivalent to RIBA parts 1, 2 and 3) from the Universidad de Chile. He also achieved a double MSc in Urban Policy at Sciences-Po Paris and the LSE. At the Universidad de Chile, Sciences-Po Paris and LSE, Pablo deepened his interest in and knowledge of urban planning, public policies and urban informal economy. In particular, for his MSc dissertation he focused on scavenging and urban recycling in Santiago of Chile.
As a PhD candidate in Regional and Urban Planning at the LSE, Pablo has widened his research on informal economy and public policies, focusing not only on scavenging but also on street markets and home-based businness. He presented his research at the 2015 Academy of Economics and Finance conference in Jacksonville (Florida), being awarded the first prize for the best paper in Economics. In 2015, he has also been awarded one out of the three 'Strictly Come Researching' prizes for PhD students at the LSE Research Festival (see Pablo’s interview with Professor Conor Gearty). At LSE, Pablo has taught GY140: Methods in Spatial and Social Analysis and GY240: Research Techniques (Spatial, Social and Environmental).
Before undertaking PhD research, Pablo worked as an architect and urban planner in Chile in the local and central government. In particular, he worked as an architect for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, as a town planning consultant for a Council of the Santiago Metropolitan Region and as a planner for the Ministry of Transport. In addition, in 2013, Pablo took part in the presidential campaign of Michelle Bachelet, leading the housing and planning sections of the manifesto proposed by President Bachelet.
Research interests
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Urban planning
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Public policies
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Informal economy
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Urban governance
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Housing
Thesis title: From Survival to Social Mobility: Supporting the Informal Economy in Santiago de Chile
Pablo's research examines four policy approaches towards the informal economy: 1) a dualist approach proposing repressive policies against scavenging activities as these are seen as a means of poverty preservation; 2) a structuralist approach promoting weak supporting policies that reinforce informal workers association in order to enhance their negotiation power and avoid capitalist exploitation; 3) a neoliberal approach promoting informal activities through legalisation and free markets without government intervention; and 4) local policies supporting the informal economy. Pablo looks at how the fourth approach has become more commonplace in recent years, although a formal or complete theoretical framework defining it has not been developed yet. Whilst various municipal policy strategies of active public support of the informal economy have been implemented, there is little clarity about their rationality, design process or effectiveness in comparison with the competing policy strategies. Pablo’s research aims to fill this gap in the literature, exploring rationalities, operationalising concepts, building performance indicators and evaluating the impact of supportive policy approaches. The preliminary results suggest a positive association between levels of support by the local government and the informal economy performance and poverty reduction.
Academic supervisors