Watkins Advisory Development & Climate for LAC

Weekly Analysis on Substack

Weekly analytical writing is published on Substack. Subscribe to receive analysis on structural transformation, resource governance, and the green transition in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Most Recent Articles:

Country constraints, not which commodity, decide the response to the technological revolution.

Costa Rica built skills for one buyer.

Sequencing, Not the Transfer Amount, Decides Whether Decentralization Diffuses.

Research Blog – The Next Wave

Analysis and case studies on how Latin America can lead the next technological revolution, published at techrevlac.org.

Most Recent Posts:

From 1958 to 1974, Colombia diversified away from coffee, but gains were slow to materialize.

Colombia Grew from 1905 to 1929 Without a Deep Transformation.

Ecuador’s banana boom spread gains, not power.

Research Blog – Rupununi

Science, history, and conservation writing on the Rupununi wetlands of Guyana, published at rupununi.org.

Most Recent Posts:

The Well That Found Oil No One Could Sell.

What Is a Jaguar Worth in the Rupununi?

Rupununi gold leaves while its costs stay.

Publications

A selection of peer-reviewed articles, policy reports, and books. More than 60 peer-reviewed publications span biodiversity conservation, climate policy, sustainable infrastructure, and institutional reform. The full list is available on my Google Scholar profile.

Policy Reports & Frameworks

Attributes and Framework for Sustainable Infrastructure

Galapagos at Risk

Lessons from four decades of infrastructure project-related conflicts in Latin America and the Caribbean

Books

Galapagos: Both Sides of the Coin

A large-format photographic celebration of the Galápagos Islands, co-authored with wildlife photographer Pete Oxford. The book pairs a decade of exceptional nature photography — sea lions, marine iguanas, volcanic eruptions, endemic birds — with text exploring the ecology and conservation challenges of one of the world’s most significant archipelagos. Officially endorsed by the Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation.

Rupununi: Rediscovering a Lost World

A portrait of the northern Rupununi wetlands of Guyana — one of South America’s most ecologically extraordinary and least-known landscapes. The book combines photography, natural history, and field experience from Graham’s years directing the Iwokrama International Centre, bringing into public view a region that has captivated explorers and scientists since Sir Walter Raleigh’s search for El Dorado. Co-produced with Pete Oxford.