Aileen is a researcher at the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (the Institute of Peruvian Studies), a private non-profit organization in Lima, Peru, where she focuses on rural development and gender issues. One of the main projects she is currently involved in, is a regional project to gather quantitative and qualitative data on socioeconomic conditions, demographic data, households’ endowments, ethnic identities, vulnerability and political participation, of young rural women in the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru. She is also involved in several other research projects in the areas of broadband development and universal service, and mobile banking.
Aileen was at LIRNEasia for a six month internship in 2009, from the Institute of Peruvian Studies, which is affiliated with DIRSI, LIRNEasia’s sister network in Latin America. During her time at LIRNEasia Aileen worked on two research papers, one on expenditure patterns on mobile phone services and the other on the potential for mobile remittances, both in emerging Asia. She also examined the similarities and differences in the OECD-based methodologies used for calculating mobile price baskets in Latin America and Asia, as well as the available data on ICTs in both regions. On her return to the Institute of Peruvian Studies Aileen has continued to work in the telecommunication sector and has been involved in several research projects including in the areas of broadband development, universal service, rural telephony and utilities regulation. She has also been involved in consultancies for the Peruvian telecommunications regulator (OSIPTEL) and the Ministry of Transport and Communications.