My research agenda is driven by a fascination with the interaction between civil society groups and state actors in tacking complex public problems related to social exclusion, inequality, and human rights. I am particularly interested in struggles to expand (or contract) citizenship rights and the health of marginalized groups.
New Institutions for Citizen Participation in Policymaking
This research project–which includes my first book, and a range of journal articles and book chapters–examines the origins, construction, and impact of new state institutions that incorporate citizen participation into the policymaking process.
- Building Participatory Institutions in Latin America: Reform Coalitions and Institutional Change. 2019. New York: Cambridge University Press.
- “The Origins of Strong Institutional Design: Policy Reform and Participatory Institutions in Brazil’s Health Sector.” 2019. Comparative Politics 51(2): 275-294.
- “Society-Driven Participatory Institutions: Lessons from Colombia’s Planning Councils.” 2019. Latin American Politics and Society 61(2): 93-114.
- “The Politics of Participation in Latin America: New Actors and Institutions.” 2019. Introductory essay for special issue of Latin American Politics and Society 61(2): 1-20. (with Jessica Rich and Alfred Montero)
- “How Do Legal Strategies Advance Accountability? Evaluating Mechanisms in Colombia.” 2020. Journal of Development Studies 56(8): 1437-1454. (with Veronica Herrera)
- “Delegate Democracy Revisited: Colombia’s Surprising Resilience.” 2016. Journal of Democracy 27(3): 139-147.
- “Brazil’s Participatory Infrastructure: Opportunities and Limitations for Inclusion.” 2021. In The Inclusionary Turn in Latin American Democracies, eds. Diana Kapiszewski, Steven Levitsky, and Deborah Yashar. New York: Cambridge University Press, 155-182. (with Jessica Rich)
- “Varieties of Participatory Institutions and Interest Intermediation in Latin America.” 2023.World Development 171 (with Jared Abbott). 2023.
- “Policing, Democratic Participation, and the Reproduction of Asymmetric Citizenship.” 2023. American Political Science Review 117(1): 263-279. (with Yanilda González)
Urban Security and Citizenship Rights of Marginalized Groups
My second book project examines the intersection between policing, urban renovation, and social welfare policies in what I call “deviance zones”: territorial spaces that are synonymous with social disorder and marginalized populations. Examples include drug-consumption zones, red-light districts of prostitution, and homeless encampments. Nearly everyone would agree that deviance zones are a problem, but what kind of problem are they?
In Citizenship of the Despised: The Politics of Ideas in Urban Revitalization, I argue that how the state talks about deviance zones will shape not only the public policies implemented in these spaces, but also the very terms of political struggle over the future of deviance zones– and the experience of citizenship for the marginalized groups within them. I trace how Bogotá’s mayors have defined deviance zones using a wide range of policy frames, describing them alternately as crises of urban security, or prime opportunities for urban redevelopment, or human-rights emergencies for marginalized populations.
The first paper from this project was recently published in Comparative Politics, and I am currently completing the book manuscript; a copy of the book manuscript is available upon request.
- “The Power of Human Rights Frames in Urban Security: Lessons from Bogotá.” 2021. Comparative Politics 54(1): 1-25.
- Winner, 2020 LASA Defense, Public Security and Democracy Best Paper by a Junior Section Member Award
- Winner, 2020 LASA Subnational Politics and Society Best Paper Award
A related paper published in the American Political Science Review, argues that increasing participation in policing can deepen citizenship for participants–but does so by mobilizing demands for police repression against marginalized groups
- “Policing, Democratic Participation, and the Reproduction of Asymmetric Citizenship.” 2023. American Political Science Review 117(1): 263-279. (with Yanilda González)
The Grassroots Right in Latin America
Along with Amy Erica Smith, I co-edited a special issue of Latin American Politics and Society dedicated to understanding the “grassroots right” in Latin America: the diverse citizens, civil society associations, and religious groups supporting causes that range from restricting abortion, affirmative action, and LGBTQ+ rights, to expanding gun rights and violently repressing crime. This special issue examines the origins, modes of mobilizing, and political impacts of Latin America’s grassroots right.
- Introductory essay: “The Grassroots Right in Latin America: Patterns, Causes, and Consequences.” 2021. Latin American Politics and Society 63(3): 1-20. (with Amy Erica Smith)
I have written a chapter that examines the roots of democratic backsliding around the world, focusing on the role of right-wing movements in crafting illiberal conceptions of citizenship that threaten democratic quality.
- “Civil Society Mobilization against Equal Citizenship in Latin America.” 2025. In Global Challenges to Democracy: Backsliding, Autocracy, and Resilience in Comparative Perspective, eds. Valerie Bunce, Thomas Pepinsky, Rachel Beatty Riedl, and Kenneth Roberts. New York: Cambridge University Press, 143-158.
Qualitative Methods
My papers on urban security and human rights employ Annotation for Transparent Inquiry, an NSF-sponsored approach to enhance data transparency and offer deeper insights into the logic of interpretation and causal analysis through annotation. I have written a short article that describes the methodological contributions of ATI, based on these experiences.
- “Bridging Positivist and Interpretative Approaches through Annotation for Transparent Inquiry.” 2021. PS: Political Science and Politics 54(3): 479-482.
Along with Jessica Rich, I have also written a book chapter on strategies of data collection for qualitative research projects.
- “Developing a Flexible Data Collection Plan.” In Doing Good Qualitative Research, eds. Jennifer Cyr and Sara Wallace Goodman. New York: Oxford University Press, 145-155. (with Jessica Rich)