He has authored numerous works about Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre's lifetime, being considered one of the few historians of "Aprismo" in Peru.

At 24, he was a member of the board of directors of the Development Corporation of La Libertad (CORLIB), whose experience in planning and management applied him as an executive of private and public companies.

During the development of the Constituent Assembly of 1978–1979, he served as Private Secretary of Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, becoming one of his most conspicuous disciples.

The economic plan proposed by Alan García clashed with Alva, leaving his post as the economy would prove to be artificial, evolving into a catastrophic policy of Macroeconomic populism.

The Peruvian Aprista Party nominated Alva[4] to run for the Presidency against Vargas Llosa, although it was clear that the latter would win in the first round.

Unexpectedly, third party nominee and virtually unknown Alberto Fujimori of Cambio 90 rose in the polls with a clear anti-partisan speech, beating Alva to the second round as the APRA achieved 22.5% of the popular vote and placed third.

The Peruvian Aprista Party, led by Alva from outside Congress as Secretary General, achieved 53 deputies and 16 senators, representing a third of each chamber.

In the following years, under the Fujimori's government, Alva would not have greater political participation, except in his party when he was elected again as Secretary General in 1996, a position he held until 1999.

Based on his experience and high vote count, he was appointed Party Spokesperson, a position he exerted while serving in the abolished Chamber of Deputies.

[6] On 11 April 2019, at the request of chief prosecutor José Domingo Pérez, judge Richard Concepción Carhuancho gave Alva impediment to leave the country for 18 months, for alleged money laundering, in the framework of the investigation by Odebrecht scandal in Peru.