Nico Ravanilla is an Assistant Professor in the School of Global Policy & Strategy of University of California San Diego. His research uses innovative quantitative techniques to evaluate policies that improve political selection, democratic accountability, and governance in developing democracies, with special focus on Southeast Asia and the Philippines. He has partnered with CSOs and universities in the Philippines on policy advocacies centered around weakening patronage and clientelism via electoral system redesign and social accountability initiatives.

Renard Sexton is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Emory University. He studies conflict and development, with a focus on external interventions intended to reduce violence in contexts including Myanmar, the Philippines, and Afghanistan. He also works on policy issues related to security and development, including through collaborations with the International Crisis Group, the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, the UN Foundation, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, USIP, and the Heinrich Boell Foundation.