Harris Gowan is a graduate student in the Master of International Public Policy program at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. His research interests lie at the intersection of global governance, international political economy, and institutional design, with particular attention to how international institutions and global markets influence equity and justice across the Global South. He is especially committed to approaches that move beyond theory, emphasizing the translation of research into policies capable of producing meaningful, real-world impact.
During his undergraduate studies in political science with a public policy specialization, Harris investigated women’s empowerment in Africa and the governance challenges surrounding Somalia’s democratic trajectory. These projects sharpened his interest in how rules—formal and informal—condition outcomes, and how evidence can be mobilized to strengthen accountability and participation.
Harris’s independent research extends this lens to Latin America. In a comparative study of Argentina and Chile, he analyzed income disparities using the Palma ratio to probe inequality with greater precision than the Gini coefficient alone. The project combined historical analysis with contemporary data to illustrate how policy regimes, external dependency, and institutional choices filter through to distributional outcomes. This work reflects his broader commitment to methodological clarity and to choosing the metric that best fits the question, not the other way around.
To bridge analysis and implementation, Harris earned a Monitoring & Evaluation certification, equipping him to design theories of change, build practical indicators, and assess whether programs deliver the impact they promise. He brings a mixed-methods mindset—comfortable with data, attentive to context, and alert to the incentives facing policymakers and communities.
At BSIA, Harris plans active involvement in the Africa Forum, Global Political Economy/WatPEG, and Global Institutions, Diplomacy & Justice clusters. His current interests include the political economy of development finance, institutional reform in fragile contexts, and the ethics of measurement in policy design.
Looking ahead, Harris aims to work in international NGOs—either in project management or strategy—where he can connect rigorous analysis to executable programs and clear metrics of success. Outside the classroom, he studies history and writes poetry, practices that deepen his sense of narrative, evidence, and voice—reminding him that policy is ultimately about people, their stories, and the institutions that shape them.