Dr.AlejandroPonce

Dr. Alejandro Ponce is the Executive Director of the World Justice Project, leading its global efforts to advance the rule of law through research, data-driven insights, and strategic initiatives.

Dr. Ponce, a trained economist, has been instrumental in shaping WJP’s research agenda since its early years. As Chief Research Officer (2012–2025), he played a key role in developing the WJP Rule of Law Index and led the creation of major data products, including country and thematic diagnostics, environmental rule of law indicators, legal needs surveys in over 100 countries, and the first study to quantify the global justice gap. He also led WJP’s expansion in Mexico and the European Union, launching subnational justice indicators, advancing criminal justice research, and overseeing documentary film productions.

Prior to joining the World Justice Project, Ponce worked as a researcher at Yale University and as an economist at the World Bank and the Mexican Banking and Securities Commission. He has conducted research in the areas of behavioral economics, financial inclusion, justice indicators, and the rule of law, and has been published in collected volumes as well as top academic journals such as the American Economic Review and the Journal of Law and Economics. Ponce is a frequent speaker on the rule of law at international conferences and policy forums and travels the world to help a wide variety of stakeholders turn rule of law data into action. He holds a B.A. in economics from ITAM in Mexico and an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University.