About

This bio is current as of 2020. 

While a student at Notre Dame, Allison Hidalgo studied International Economics, Spanish, and International Peace Studies. She worked with Dr. Ernesto Verdeja, Dr. Wyatt Brooks, and Dr. George Lopez on topics ranging from development economics to genocide and the development of peace studies programs in Latin America. For her personal research, Hidalgo has focused on market-driven innovations intended to create positive social and environmental impact.

Hidalgo recently graduated from her Master in International Relations at IE University in Madrid, Spain, which she pursued through a Fulbright Study Grant. Her most recent research investigates sovereign wealth funds’ ability to increase states’ soft power through strategic transactions and SDG-related investments.

This profile was current as of 2019 when she was part of the on-campus Kellogg community.

Allison Hidalgo is interested in the intersection of business and social impact. Hidalgo believes that through sustainable processes and ethical supply chains, businesses can minimize their negative externalities and create positive societal and environmental impact. In her international economics capstone, Hidalgo will explore the effects of fair trade on Amazonian farmers, analyzing the benefits and downfalls of the fair trade system. 

While at Notre Dame, Hidalgo received the Kellogg Institute’s Summer Entrepreneurial Internship grant. Through the Summer Entrepreneurial Internship, she worked in the Ecuadorian Amazon with Fundación Runa, the non-profit branch of a social enterprise known as RUNA, LLC. Fundación Runa works to protect and create greater value for the rainforest ecosystem as well as the indigenous Kichwa farmers. As a social entrepreneurship intern, Hidalgo’s main project was assisting a developing, Kichwa-owned business in measuring their impact on stakeholders according to their goals. Additionally, Hidalgo created surveys and conducted interviews with indigenous, Kichwa farmers to investigate the role of women in the production of guayusa, a locally produced tea. In summer of 2018, Hidalgo attended the Madrasa Discourses, a program sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, in Nepal. During this program, Hidalgo discussed contemporary technological and societal issues Islam faces with Islamic scholars from Pakistan, South Africa, and India. 

Thesis Title: Fair Trade and Its Effects on Amazonian Farmers

Major(s)
International Economics
Minor(s)
Peace Studies
Current Research

Research Interests
I am interested in studying the intersection of business and social impact and understanding the potential downfalls and opportunities associated with fair trade, corporate social responsibility, and social enterprises.

Current Research
My senior capstone investigates fair trade’s effects on Central American coffee producers, examining both the benefits and shortcomings of fair trade and assessing fair trade’s effectiveness in delivering benefits to farmers.

Other Accomplishments & Recognitions

2019 - Fulbright - Study / Research Grant- Instituto de Empresa