Wilson Center Experts
Duncan Wood
Director, Mexico Institute
Mexico Institute
Contact Information:
T 202/691-4086
// F 202/691-4076
Expertise:
Economics and Globalization
; Energy
; Energy Security
; Latin America
; Mexico
; North America
; Canada
Duncan Wood is the Director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. For 17 years, Dr. Wood was a professor and the director of the International Relations Program at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) in Mexico City. He also held the role of researcher at the Centro de Derecho Económico Internacional (CDEI) at ITAM. He is a member of the Mexican National Research System (level 2), a member of the editorial board of Foreign Affairs Latinoamerica and has been an editorial advisor to Reforma newspaper. In 2007, he was a non‐resident Fulbright Fellow. Between 2007 and 2009, he was technical secretary of the Red Mexicana de Energia, a group of experts in the area of energy policy in Mexico. He has been a Senior Associate with the Simon Chair and the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. His research focuses on Mexican energy policy, including renewable energy, and North American relations. He studied in the UK and Canada, receiving his PhD in Political Studies from Queen’s University, Canada in 1996.
Related Content for this Expert
Latin American Program in the Media: Winter 2013
Feb 08, 2013See what our staff, fellows, and scholars have been saying on key issues. more
Will blast at Mexico oil company shift opinions on privatization? - Mexico Institute in the News
Feb 06, 2013Mexico Institute Director Duncan Wood spoke to The Christian Science Monitor about last week's Pemex blast. “More recently opinion polls have suggested there has been a significant softening of those attitudes,” he said. “What all this really depends on is how ambitious the government wants to be.” more
Mexican TV Billionaire Salinas Pliego Wants Pemex To Be Privatized - Mexico Institute in the News
Feb 04, 2013In a recent paper published by the Washington-based think tank, Wood said that it is “widely expected” that the Peña Nieto government will present an energy reform initiative to the Mexican Congress early in 2013. “While it is still unknown how ambitious that reform proposal will be, it is thought that the government will present an initiative that will aim at opening the sector to greater levels of private participation in refining, petrochemicals and even in exploration and production.” more
Explosion in Mexico City Kills at Least 25 - Mexico Institute in the News
Feb 04, 2013“You pull all of this together and you say, well, if they can’t even guarantee safety in their own building, their own headquarters, what does that tell us about the company?” said Duncan Wood, director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “It tells us there are things seriously wrong there. It tells you things need to be seriously shaken up.” more
Explosion at Mexico’s Pemex HQ kills 32 - Mexico Institute in the News
Feb 04, 2013“So what will the Pemex explosion mean for the national debate on energy reform? It puts Pemex firmly in the spotlight for a start,” tweeted Duncan Wood, director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson centre in Washington. “Pemex needs to be modernised from top to bottom, from exploration and production to basic practices . . . will legislators [now] recognise that Pemex has fallen behind the times?” more
IMF Calls for Energy Debate - Mexico Institute in the News
Jan 31, 2013Duncan Wood's remarks on the future of U.S.-Mexico relations were quoted in The News. “Looking forward to the next six years of the relationship between (the U.S. and Mexican) governments, there is the potential for an extremely fruitful relationship on energy issues.” more
Mexico: Aztec Tiger - Mexico Institute in the News
Jan 31, 2013Duncan Wood spoke to the Financial Times regarding Enrique Pena Nieto's efforts to overcome political gridlock. “It is a political statement,” he said. “And it fits with the PRI tradition of trying to build consensus.” more
Energy Reform is Possible - U.S. Study - Mexico Institute in the News
Jan 24, 2013This article is in Spanish.
Duncan Wood quoted extensively in an article about the new Mexico Institute publication on the future of US-Mexico relations following President Obama's second Inauguration.
more
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto tallies early victories, brings optimism -Mexico Institute in the News
Jan 24, 2013“There’s a tide, a wave of optimism that this government can get issues through Congress,” said Duncan Wood said at a forum Jan. 9.
This article also appeared on Macon.com and Sacbee.com.
more
Peña Nieto’s Reforms are Being Debated- Mexico Institute in the News
Jan 23, 2013The Mexico Institute's Duncan Wood discusses the current debate on President Peña Nieto’s proposed reforms. more
Pages
Public Security in Mexico and Policing Standards
May 21, 2013 // 9:00am — 11:00am
At a time when the bilateral security relationship between the U.S. and Mexico is going through a period of change, and when the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto is developing its own public security strategy, the Mexico Institute is pleased to present an event examining the role of standards in strengthening policing institutions.
Media Briefing: Obama’s Latin America Trip
April 26, 2013 // 9:30am — 10:30am
Wilson Center Experts Preview President Obama’s Upcoming Trip to Mexico and Costa Rica and U.S. Policy in the Region
Report Launch: New Ideas for a New Era: Policy Options for the Next Stage in U.S.-Mexico Relations
May 02, 2013 // 9:00am — 10:30am
On the same day that President Obama begins his trip to Latin America, the authors of the Mexico Institute’s new policy report will present their recommendations for strengthening U.S.-Mexico relations.
Quo Vadis? Recruitment and Contracting of Migrant Workers and their Access to Social Security
April 17, 2013 // 9:00am — 11:00am
The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute and Latin American Program and the Institute for Studies and Communication on Migration (Instituto de Estudios y Divulgación sobre Migración, INEDIM) are pleased to invite you to a presentation of the following study: Quo Vadis? Recruitment and Contracting of Migrant Workers and their Access to Social Security: The Dynamics of Temporary Labor Migration Systems in North and Central America.
Is the Border More Efficient? More Secure? — Progress and Challenges in Managing the U.S.-Mexico Border
February 27, 2013 // 1:30pm — 3:30pm
In 2009, the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Mexican Council on Foreign Affairs convened the Binational Task Force on the United States-Mexico Border. The group issued a series of recommendations regarding border management, which were detailed in the report, “Managing the United States-Mexico Border: Cooperative Solutions to Common Challenges.” Now, as border management plays a key role in the debate over immigration reform, the Task Force will reconvene to evaluate progress in managing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Energy in the Americas
May 11, 2012 // 9:00am — 10:30am
Ambassador Carlos Pascual discussed regional development of renewable energies in the context of U.S. global energy policy. Duncan Wood then launched a series of new reports entitled, "RE-Energizing the Border: Renewable Energy, Green Jobs and Border Infrastructure."
Countdown to 2012: Mexico's Electoral Landscape in the Year Ahead
July 08, 2011 // 9:00am — 11:00am
A diverse team of experts discussed Mexico’s political landscape as the country prepares for presidential elections in 2012. They examined prospects for the major candidates and parties, how the economy, security and foreign relations are likely to be debated, and the health of Mexico’s electoral system.
Energy and Oil Reform in the Americas
July 07, 2009 // 2:00pm — 5:00pm
The story of the oil industry in Latin America in recent years has been one of both highs and lows. A panel of four experts was convened to evaluate the current climate for significant reform in the region.
A Blueprint for Action on the U.S.-Mexico Border
June 17, 2010 // 3:00pm — 5:30pm
Dolores Wesson, EPA and Designated Federal Officer, GNEB; Paul Ganster, San Diego State University and Chair, GNEB; Nancy Sutley, Chair, Council on Environmental Quality; Michelle DePass, Assistant Administrator, OITA, Environmental Protection Agency; Arturo Sarukhan, Mexican Ambassador to the United States; Duncan Wood, Director, Department of International Relations, Instituto Tecnólogico Autónomo de México (ITAM); Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); and Senior Advisor, Renewable Energy Initiative, Woodrow Wilson Center; Russell Frisbie, Department of State, Office of Mexican Affairs; Steve Niemeyer, Manager for Border Affairs, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; Allyson Siwik, Executive Director, Gila Resources Information Project, New Mexico; John Wood, County Commissioner, Precinct 2, Cameron County, Texas
Educational cooperation and exchanges: An emerging issue
May 02, 2013The Mexico Institute prepared a brief highlighting the potential for expanding student exchange and international mobility programs between the U.S. and Mexico.
New Ideas for a New Era: Policy Options for the Next Stage in U.S.-Mexico Relations
May 01, 2013The Mexico Institute presents policy recommendations for strengthening U.S.-Mexico relations during the administrations of President Obama and President Peña Nieto.
Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Energy Security: Enhancing Partnerships with Mexico and Canada
Mar 15, 2013On March 14, 2013, Duncan Wood, Director of the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute, testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. The hearing, titled “U.S. Energy Security: Enhancing Partnerships with Mexico and Canada,” included a discussion of the Keystone XL pipeline and the Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement.
A New Beginning for Mexican Oil
Dec 13, 2012Based on the collaborative work of a high‐level group of Mexican energy experts during the first half of 2012, this report focuses on the issues facing Mexico’s hydrocarbon sector and the most important principles that must underlie the forthcoming reform of the country’s oil and gas industry. Although multiple diagnoses of the sector exist, in recent years there has been no fundamental examination of the principles that should underlie the nation’s energy policy.
U.S. Presidential Election 2012 Analysis from the Mexico Institute
Nov 07, 2012The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute is pleased to share with you the following analysis on the implications of the 2012 U.S. Presidential Elections for the U.S.-Mexico Relationship.
Re-Energizing the Border: Renewable Energy, Green Jobs and Border Infrastructure
May 15, 2012The U.S.-Mexico border region is one of enormous energy resources, both traditional and renewable. This report provides an overview of the prospects for renewable energy projects in Mexico’s border states, examining the development of wind, solar and municipal solid waste projects. This research evaluates the potential impact of investment in these projects on border communities in terms of employment, infrastructure, human capital and social participation.
Wind Energy Potential in Mexico’s Northern Border States
May 15, 2012With over 1,000 MW of wind energy capacity now installed and another 2,000 MW under construction, Mexico’s wind energy sector has grown dramatically since the early 1990s. This report examines the potential for creating economic benefits in border states from wind energy development, with particular attention paid to employment and infrastructure.
Bioenergy Potential in Northern Mexico
May 15, 2012This report recognizes the growing potential for bioenergy, which has attracted public and private sector interest in recent years. It has become clear that Mexico’s land and labor costs make the cross-border trade in renewable energy an exciting and potentially highly profitable sector. Of bioenergy feedstocks, municipal solid waste may represent the greatest potential for growth in Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico transborder region.
US-Mexico Cross Border Energy Cooperation: a new era in the Gulf of Mexico
Mar 13, 2012First in his series of Monthly Reports on PEMEX and U.S.-Mexico Energy Cooperation, this article explores the implications of the recently signed Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement, which resolves the question of what to do with potential oil reserves along the dividing line between Mexico and the United States in the Gulf of Mexico. Wood sees the agreement as "extremely good news," as it marks the "end of a decades-long process to try to determine oil rights in these two areas, opening the door to exploration and production that offers the prospect of exciting new modes of cooperation between Pemex and private oil companies."
The Outlook for Energy Reform in Latin America
Jul 07, 2011In July of 2009, four experts from the region convened to talk about their perspectives on the potential for reform in four leading oil producing nations: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela. This paper provides a summary of the event, and in doing so evaluates the current climate for significant reform in these four Latin American nations.
