Nando Rivarola

Nando is currently working as Cabinet Coordinator and Main Advisor for the Paraguayan Minister of Finance.

The MPA at LSE’s School of Public Policy represents one of the best experiences in my life. It made me grow up, not only in the academic aspect, but also in shaping my temper, my character, and proving myself to be resilient enough to face major challenges. Pressure became one of my best allies once I learned how to deal with it, and the LSE community was always there to support my learning process.

Before beginning the MPA I was working at the Central Bank of Paraguay as a technician involved in National Accounts Statistics. One of the main reasons to study the MPA was its thorough curriculum, and the complexity of courses that complemented each other. The diversity of the students’ backgrounds also made the MPA very attractive; at LSE you learn not only in classes, but through sharing formally and informally with fellow students.

Coming back home was a difficult decision. After two amazing years of the London lifestyle, I almost felt as if I was making a step backward. However, what encouraged me the most to return home was the opportunity to jump ahead in my professional career, and to realize how valuable MPA students are for the development of their communities, their cities, and their countries.

My job at the Paraguayan Ministry of Finance, in addition to the day-to-day work of a Finance Ministry, involves me in major national projects which I have to coordinate. Among them: a reengineering of the National Budget, with a focus in Sustainable Development Goals in a joint project with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Jeff Sachs team; the National Transformation of the Educational System (a huge participative, political and technical endeavor); and the National Innovation Strategy as a key trigger for the development of Paraguay.

In this position my vocation to serve is being fulfilled. This is the job I have always dreamed about, and self-realization is found in every decision I take and every project I work for. Additionally, after twelve to fourteen hour work shifts, I also teach Macroeconomics to undergrad students at a private university.

Now I am aware that the only way to change my country’s reality is to implement sound public policies that will lead to its development; thus, it is a first condition to gather, analyze, and interpret data sufficiently, in order to understand the big picture. The MPA legacy for myself was to always navigate deeper in order to “know the cause of things”.