Laura has been working with IISD’s Economic Law and Policy program since 2012, first as a Project Officer and currently as an Associate. With a decade of experience in sustainable development research and advising, she has overseen projects on public procurement, infrastructure finance, investment policy and voluntary sustainability standards.
Laura is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Geneva on the topic of freshwater allocation in contexts of scarcity.
All Publications
- Why Financing Rural Infrastructure Is Crucial to Achieving Food Security
Blog - January 9, 2019
Financing infrastructure, including roads, storage and localized energy grids, will help provide food security for the millions of people living in hunger worldwide. - Financing Rural Infrastructure: Priorities and pathways for ending hunger
Report - December 26, 2018
Read our report to discover how new financial instruments can support a decentralized and robust infrastructure base for farmers, food processors and rural communities. - Financing Rural Infrastructure: Priorities and pathways for ending hunger: Investment in Agriculture Policy Brief #7
Policy Brief - December 26, 2018
Read our policy brief to discover how financing infrastructure will help provide food security for the 821 million people estimated to live in hunger worldwide. - State of Sustainability Initiatives Review: Standards and the Extractive Economy
Book - September 11, 2018
This report examines voluntary sustainability initiatives (VSIs), and their aim to promote sustainable production practices in the mining sector. - Investing in Land for Water: The converging legal regimes Policy Brief #4 Investment in Agriculture
Policy Brief - July 5, 2016
This policy brief presents the different sources of law that are triggered by the use of water for farmland investments, and makes recommendations to help reconcile different legal regimes while ensuring water issues are adequately addressed. - Unsolicited Proposals in Infrastructure: A growing reality for governments, requiring robust management frameworks
Paper - December 10, 2015
Unsolicited proposals for infrastructure give rise to significant concerns related to transparency, quality and fair competition in public procurement. - Safeguarding Human Rights through Public Procurement
Blog - November 26, 2015
Public procurement has an essential role to play in facilitating states’ fulfillment of their duties to protect, respect and fulfill human rights... - Handbook for INGP Public Procurers / Manual para Agentes de Compras Públicas de las RICG
Paper - October 20, 2015
This handbook will guide government procurers on the design of procurement policies and preferential purchasing programs that will crowd-in SMEs, minority suppliers and women-owned enterprises. - New Research Links Water Security and Economic Growth
Blog - August 21, 2015
While it is intuitively clear that economic growth is related to water security there has been very little empirical evidence of this relationship... - Performance-Based Specifications: Exploring when they work and why
Paper - September 22, 2014
This report seeks to contribute to the discussion on innovation and sustainable public procurement (SPP) through the investigation of the use of... - Implementing Sustainable Public Procurement in South Africa: Where to start
Paper - May 24, 2014
This report investigates the extent of policy space for the practical uptake of sustainable public procurement (SPP) in South Africa.It also... - Value for Money in Infrastructure Procurement: The costs and benefits of environmental and social safeguards in India
Paper - January 23, 2014
This report debates the extent to which public-private partnerships (PPPs) are delivering value for money (VFM) in India.While VfM is traditionally... - Moving Towards Performance-Based Specifications in Public Procurement
Paper - December 19, 2013
This briefing note outlines some of the key considerations and conditions for the use of performance-based specifications to encourage natural... - Public-Private Partnership Health Check: Managing partnerships during their lifetime
Paper - March 27, 2013
Despite the effects of the financial crisis, public-private partnerships (PPPs) continue to be widely used as a means of realizing public... - Financing Sustainable Public- Private Partnerships
Paper - March 27, 2013
Public infrastructure deficits afflict both developed and developing countries, and are compelling governments to bring in private sector capital...