Gonzalo Hernández Licona is a Mexican economist and distinguished scholar in the fields of poverty measurement, economic development and social program evaluation. Hernández Licona holds a PhD in economics from the University of Oxford, a master's in economics from the University of Essex and a B.A. in economics from the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM).
Hernández Licona founded the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL), a decentralized Mexican federal government institution.[1] CONEVAL's main objective is to evaluate social programs and measure poverty in Mexico. Since November 2005, Hernández Licona has served as the Executive Secretary of CONEVAL, in charge of overseeing the Council's activities and executing the agreements reached upon by the Council's board.[2]
In collaboration with other distinguished academics on CONEVAL's executive board, Hernández Licona participated in the development of a multidimensional poverty measurement methodology.[3] This methodology accounts for multiple social deprivations and income wellbeing in Mexican households. It is currently employed as the official poverty measurement methodology in Mexico.[4]
Due to his work as a scholar and as an evaluator, Hernández Licona has received multiple awards and recognitions. Amongst his most prestigious distinctions is the GPSA Award for Leadership and Social Accountability (2015), awarded to Hernández Licona by the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (a World Bank affiliate) for his contributions, and those of CONEVAL, in poverty measurement and evaluation of social programs under an accountability framework.[5] Dr. Hernández Licona has also been awarded the International Award for Research in Health Policy “José Luis Bobadilla” (2017),[6] Trimestre Económico “Daniel Cosío Villegas” Award (2000), the Banamex Economics Award (1996),[7] and the ITAM Professional Merit Award- Public Sector (2013).[8]
Prior to leading CONEVAL, Hernández Licona served as the General Director of Evaluation and Social Program Monitoring for Mexico's social development ministry (SEDESOL). While at SEDESOL he developed an innovative system for the evaluation and monitoring of federal social programs. Hernández Licona has also been a long time scholar at ITAM, having directed its B.A. program in economics from 1998-1999. He has also lectured multiple courses, and advised nearly 30 student thesis, six of them which have gone on to win the Banamex Economics Award. He has been a member of the National Researchers System since 1997 and holds more than 70 publications.[9]
Due to his expertise, in 2015 Hernández Licona was appointed by the UNDP and the OECD member of the Monitoring Advisory Group for the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation.[10] Then in 2016, he was appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as one of the 15 independent scientific experts in charge of developing the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report.[11]
Member of the Expert Panel, México, ¿Cómo vamos?, 2013–present[17]
Member of the Evaluation Advisory Committee, Global Alliance for Vaccine Immunization (GAVI Alliance), October 2010- December 2016
Member of the advisory committee, Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias, 2010–present
Member of the Board of Commissioners, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), April 2007 – present[18]
Professor and researcher at the department of economics, Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM), April 1996 – present
General director of evaluation and social program monitoring, Secretariat of Social Development (SEDESOL), July 2002- November 2005
Member of the Consultative Commission for the Modernization of the Minimum Wage System, National Commission for Minimum Wage, February 2001- August 2001
Director of Undergraduate Studies in Economics, Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM), August 1998- August 1999
Academic Representative, Commission for Labor Cooperation Agreement, June 1996- July 2001
Editorial boards
Member of the Editorial Council for Cofactor- ISSN 2007-1086, 2010-2014[19]
Member of the Editorial Committee for Economía Mexicana (now Latin American Economic Review), Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), April 1998 – 2004
Member of the Editorial Council for El Trimestre Económico, 2000-2001
Awards and recognitions
International Award for Research in Health Policy “José Luis Bobadilla” granted by the Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, 2017[20]
GPSA Award for Leadership and Social Accountability granted by the Global Partnership for Social Accountability, 2015[21]
ITAM Professional Merit Award- Public Sector granted by Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM), 2013[22]
Trimestre Económico “Daniel Cosío Villegas” Award granted by Trimestre Económico, an economics journal edited by the Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2000
Scholarship recipient, granted by the Fondo Mexicano de Intercambio Académico, 1998
Banamex Economics Award, First place, granted by Banamex for PhD thesis: “El efecto de la pobreza de los hogares en participación, horas de trabajo y el desempleo”, 1996[23]
Graduated with honors from the Masters in Economics- University of Essex, England, 1990
Graduated with honors from the Undergraduate program in Economics- Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM), Mexico, 1990
2016.“Autonomía del hecho y autonomía del derecho: Los retos de la reforma política para el CONEVAL” in Nueva ronda de reformas estructurales en México ¿Nuevas políticas sociales? Coordinated by Enrique Valencia Lomelí & Gerardo Ordóñez Barba, Colegio de la Frontera Norte, First Edition, Pgs. 451-462. ISBN978-607-479-236-2
2015.“CONEVAL como órgano autónomo en los hechos” in Revista de Administración Pública, Organismos Constitucionales Autónomos, Instituto Nacional de Administración Pública, A.C. No. 138, Vol. L, No. 3, Pgs. 189-204. ISSN 0482-5209
2014.“Crecimiento económico, Desigualdad y Pobreza en México" in "El Futuro del Estado social". – Coordinated by Luis F. Aguilar V.& Jorge A. Alatorre, Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Económicas Administrativas. Instituto de Investigación en Políticas Públicas y de Gobierno. Edit. Porrúa. México, 2014. Pgs. 75-97. ISBN978-607-401-860-8
2014.“Medición Multidimensional de la pobreza en México" in El Trimestre Económico – Vol. LXXXI(1), January–March 2014 – No. 321. By: Gonzalo Hernández L., María del Rosario, Cárdenas Elizalde, Fernando Alberto Cortés, Cáceres, Agustín Escobar Latapí, Salomón Nahmad, Sitton, John Scott Andretta, Graciela Teruel, Belismelis and Ricardo Aparicio Jiménez. ISSN 0041-3011. 2014
2013.“Construyendo un Sistema de Evaluación del Desempeño para el Desarrollo Social" in Monitoreo, Evaluación y Gestión por Resultados. Aprendizaje y Cooperación Sur-Sur para la Innovación: El Papel de los Actores Subnacionales. Claudia Maldonado Trujillo y Cristina Galíndez Hernández (editors). Regional Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results – (CLEAR) & El Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica (CIDE). Pgs. 61-68. ISBN978-607-7843-55-9. 2013
2013.“Mercado laboral, desempleo y acceso a los alimentos" in Revista IBERO, Hambre, pobreza y derecho a la alimentación. Coauthors: Paloma Villagómez O., Pedro Hernández López y Ricardo Aparicio J. Mexico, 2013. No. 27 – Pgs. 4-8. 2013
2013.“El Desarrollo Económico en México" in Estudios – Filosofía, Historia, Letras - ITAM – Fall 2013 - No. 106 – Pgs. 99-140. ISSN 0185-6383
2013.“Pobreza y Empleo" in Contaduría Pública. Instituto Mexicano de Contadores Públicos. September 2013 – Pgs. 14-17.
2012.“Hechos" in Política Social – Coordinated by Luis Reygadas - 01 - Los retos del Distrito Federal. Escuela de Administración Pública del Distrito Federal – EAPDF – Pgs. 79-92. ISBN978-607-8228-20-1 Política Social. ISBN978-607-8228-19-5 Obra Completa
2012.“Construyendo un Sistema de Evaluación del Desempeño para el Desarrollo Social". By Gonzalo Hernández Licona, Thania de la Garza Navarrete y Edgar Martínez Mendoza. In: Ópticas Diversas de la Evaluación del Desempeño en México. (Coordinators: Gabriela Rangel F. y Carlos Menéndez G.). Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación CEDRSSA, Centro de Estudios para el Desarrollo Rural y Sustentable y la Soberanía Alimentaria, LXI Legislatura de la Cámara de Diputados. August 2012. - Pgs. 41-65.
2010.“The Role of Evaluation in Mexico: Achievements, Challenges, and Opportunities" in Improving the Quality of Public Expenditure through the use of Performance information in México. The World Bank Group and the Mexican Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público (Ministry of Finance, SHCP). Washington D. C., 2010. 2010
2006.“Desarrollo Social en México: Situación actual y retos" with Gustavo Merino & Erika Rascón. In: Medición del Desarrollo Humano en México, Coordinated by Luis Felipe López Calva & Miguel Székely. Fondo de Cultura Económica. Chapter VIII. – Pgs. 373-411.
2002.“Empleo y Regulación Laboral en México" Memorias 2001 - IBERGOP- Mexico Editors: A. Ortega, C. A. Martínez, Garza, R. Lecuona - Editorial Porrúa, 2002.
2000.“Informalidad, Una Vez Más" in Revista El Mercado de Valores - Year LX, Pgs. 38-47, Cruz Aguayo, Yyannu. - Nacional Financiera, August, 2000
2000.“El Empleo en México en el Siglo XXI" El Cotidiano, No. 100, Pgs. 117-128. Ed. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana & Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2000
1997.“El efecto de la pobreza en los hogares con la tasa de participación, horas laborales y empleo en México". El Economista Mexicano. Nueva Época. Vol. 1 – No. 2.