For the fourth consecutive year, CIUP was recognized in the framework of this important award, which recognizes the good research and communication work performed by Peruvian research centers. 

This year, CIUP got the award for including the importance of economic history in the design of long-term public policies in the national agenda, an objective that has characterized our center since its inception and that has been consolidated by the impact of the book El desarrollo de la economía peruana en la era moderna: precios, población, demanda y producción desde 1700 (The development of Peruvian economy in the modern era: prices, population, demand and production since 1700 )​, by Bruno Seminario.

 

This research - determining factor to win the prize - reconstructs the most extensive series of economic data in the American continent and, through these statistics, proposes a new reading on the country's development problem. 

"CIUP gained the jury's vote thanks to a somewhat counterintuitive work for a think tank: a look at 300 years of economic history that ends with implications and recommendations for current and future public policy," said the jury in a statement​, part of which was read during the awards ceremony held at El Virrey bookstore on October 19. 

In the same statement, the jury also highlighted CIUP 's strategy and communication effort to measure the scope of this monumental work. "'Selling' the subject to a fairly broad audience is not easy when it comes to economic history".

 

Upon receiving the award, Gustavo Yamada - Director of the CIUP - highlighted the ability of our researchers to develop interdisciplinary studies and bold economic estimates, evidenced in various publications - our list of books on economic history amounts to more than 30 titles ​- especially in the remarkable work of Seminario, who was publicly recognized during a CIDUP celebration meeting.

 

This historical reconstruction of economic data took more than two decades of immersion. During that time, Seminario engaged some other colleagues and a group of young economists, particularly María Alejandra Zegarra, Luz de  los Ángeles Sánchez and Nikolai Alva, in the research. These young economists were passionate about history and its current value. 

 

The award coincides with the relaunch of Seminario's work website that  includes his complete works for free download (http://www.historiaeconomicaperu.up.edu.pe/)​. Historians, economists and researchers in general can now have, in their digital files, the entire book or the chapters that interest them. 

Since the methodology for data reconstruction is being used as a model for similar research in Latin America, the Excel version of the book tables are also available on the web page, so that researchers can make their own calculations and interpretations. 

This year, CIUP also approved the creation of the Research Group on Economic History, which will be part of the Macroeconomics and Economic Policies Area and gathers researchers on economics, history and other disciplines. 

This decision consolidates CIUP trajectory of pioneering research on this field of study that has gained prominence in our institution thanks to the enthusiasm of Seminario and his colleagues, including Martin Monsalve, Juan Carlos Parodi and Juan Mendoza. 

 

Part of the commitment has been the involvement with international projection initiatives such as the creation of the Peruvian Association of Economic History, now headed by Monsalve, who is also coordinator of the Economic and Business History course at Universidad del Pacífico, mandatory subject for all students in our university. 

CIUP also integrates an international research group that seeks to design a business history course for Latin America, led by world-renowned Geoffrey G. Jones, from Harvard Business School. As part of this initiative - the basis of our course - Jones gave a keynote lecture at CIUP and soon our researchers will collaborate with his Creating Emerging Markets project.