OTT Conference 2026: Conversation With Erica Schoder & Héctor Cárdenas

June 22, 2026

What does it take for think tanks to stay trusted, relevant, and heard in a world that's increasingly sceptical of institutions? At the Policy Center for the New South we put that question to keynote speakers Erica Schoder and Héctor Cárdenas on the sidelines of the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco.
 

Speakers
Ahmed Ouhnini
Economist, Policy Center for the New South
Ahmed Ouhnini is an Economist at the Policy Center for the New South. His research area covers agricultural economics, human and social development. Previously, he has worked as a researcher at the Paris School of Economics (PSE) and has also a record of working in consulting services in Morocco. Ahmed holds an engineering Diploma in Agriculture and Rural Development from the National School of Agriculture of Meknes and a Master’s Degree in Law, Economics and Management from the Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne Institute of Development. ...
Erica Schoder
Executive Director and co-founder of the R Street Institute
...

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