The Observatory on Latin America (OLA) fosters public debate about the processes of social reform occurring in the Western Hemisphere. A majority of this work is done through five ongoing programs—Latin America on the Move, Design and Development, Cuba Program, Building Bicentennials, and the President Néstor Kirchner Fellowship.
Established in 2006, OLA's main objectives are as follows:
- Improve academic and public understanding of Latin America by observing and studying the processes of political and economic change.
- Foster a public dialogue between and within the United States and Latin America about the challenges of building social democracy in a globalized world, including creating opportunities for Latin American leaders to directly express their views to audiences in the United States.
- Collaborate with Latin American institutions to further these objectives within countries across the hemisphere by linking and mobilizing ideas and institutions
OLA has hosted more than 150 events with over 6,000 attendees at The New School and in the New York region. This agenda has allowed it to become a widely recognized, open platform for the dissemination and discussion of Latin American ideas to an international audience in New York, and an active collaborator with universities and civil society organizations across the New York region.
OLA is homed at the Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs in the Schools of Public Engagement.