Johannes (Jan) Minke Contreras

I am Dutch-Ecuadorean but was mainly raised in Mexico. I currently hold a BSc in Governance, Economics and Development from Leiden University College and a MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Over the last year, I worked as a Political and Communications Officer at the Embassy of Ecuador in Belgium and Mission to the European Union in Brussels. 

My research interests are largely rooted in the intersection of foreign policy and development. I have researched how Latin American nations have managed to foster development at home through the employment of different foreign policy tools.

Additionally, I have researched democratic and institutional consolidation in Latin America focusing mainly on Ecuador. Specifically, I have examined how democratic mechanisms can be used to dismantle democracy itself.

In my free time I enjoy writing, discovering new food and reading on urbanism.

Currently, Jan is working as a Postgraduate Research Community Facilitator at the Latin America and Caribbean Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science.