Candelaria Garay

Candelaria Garay is an Associate Professor in the Department of Global Labor and Work at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Her research focuses on social policy, labor movements, environmental governance, and health policy in Latin America. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in Sociology from the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Her work examines the expansion of social protection programs in Latin America, particularly for marginalized populations. Her award-winning book Social Policy Expansion in Latin America (2016) explores income transfers, pensions, and healthcare access in the region. Current projects include studying labor coalitions in unequal societies and comparative analyses of social policy in the Global South. She previously held positions at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and Argentina’s Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.

Her research has been published in leading journals like Comparative Political Studies and World Development. Key themes include subnational governance, environmental institutions, and the intersection of social movements with policy outcomes. She has received prestigious awards, including the Robert A. Dahl Award and recognition from the Latin American Studies Association.

Garay’s interdisciplinary approach bridges political science, sociology, and public policy. She collaborates internationally on issues of inequality, environmental protection, and participatory governance. Her current projects emphasize comparative analyses of social policy dynamics across developing nations and the role of coalitions in labor organizing.