Johabed G. Olvera is an assistant professor of public policy with Penn State’s School of Public Policy. She is on leave 2021-22 and visiting the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE) in Mexico City.

Olvera’s research interests include public policy analysis, implementation, and management. She focuses on health and social programs targeting vulnerable populations, both in the developing world and in the United States. Her current research examines the impact of public policies that affect maternal and child health, and the role of implementation in the success of these interventions. Olvera has been published in journals such as Public Administration Review, Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, and Revista Mexicana de Sociologia. Her work has been funded by the Tobias Center for Innovation and International Development and the Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis.

Olvera holds a Ph.D. in public affairs from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.