Eduardo Moncada
Department
Urban Studies, Political Science
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I am a scholar of the politics of crime and violence in Latin America. My research contributes to our understanding of the political dynamics and consequences of criminal violence. Latin America is among the most violent regions in the world: home to eight percent of the world’s population, but accounting for one-third of the world’s annual homicides. While rooted in the politics of crime and violence, I contribute to broader areas of research in political science, including subnational comparative analysis, urban politics, and Latin American politics. At the same time, my research has an important interdisciplinary component that bridges political science with debates in urban studies and criminology.
In my first book, Cities, Business and the Politics of Urban Violence in Latin America (Stanford University Press, 2016), I analyzed how the relationships between city mayors, business interests, and criminal organizations shape the ways in which major developing world cities respond to the challenge of urban violence. In my second book, Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics, 2022), I tackle the following question: Why do victims resist similar forms of criminal victimization in contrasting ways? In this book I use the widespread but understudied phenomenon of criminal extortion in Latin America to introduce resistance to criminal victimization into the emerging research on the politics of crime.
Resisting Extortion received the 2022 Outstanding Book Award from the Division of International Criminology of the American Society of Criminology (ASC), the Best Publication of 2022 from the Defense, Public Security and Democracy Section of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), Honorable Mention for the 2022 Giovanni Sartori Book Award from the Qualitative and Multi-Method Research Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), Honorable Mention for the 2023 Bryce Wood Book Award from the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), and was the Co-Winner of the 2022 Best Book Award from the International Association for the Study of Organized Crime (IASOC).
I have conducted extensive fieldwork in Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico and other parts of Latin America, as well as South Africa.
- Ph.D - Brown University
- Master of Arts in Latin American Studies - University of Miami
- Bachelor of Arts - Long Island University
- Introduction to Comparative Politics
- Comparative Politics of Urban Development in Latin America
- Government and Politics of Latin America
2025 Principal Investigator (PI): National Science Foundation (NSF), Law and Science Program and Security and Preparedness Program: Criminal Competition and Collective Political Mobilization in Comparative Perspective ($230,928)
2023 Distinguished Scholar Award, Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation ($26,800 for Year 1)
2022 Distinguished Scholar Award, Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation ($10,000 for Year 2)
2018 Fellowship, American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) ($40,000)
2014 Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Ford Foundation/National Academies of Sciences, Engineering &
Medicine (Alternate)
2011 Drugs, Security, Democracy Fellowship, Social Science Research Council/Open Society Foundation ($22,000)
2011 Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University
2011 Fellowship, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame (Declined)
2010 Dissertation Research Fellowship, Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation ($19,000)
2008 Predoctoral Fellowship, Ford Foundation/National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine ($120,000 over three years)
2008 Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship, Fulbright-Hays ($28,000)
2008 Dissertation Fellowship, American Society of Criminology ($5,000)
2008 World Politics & Statecraft Grant, Smith Richardson Foundation ($7,500)
2008 Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowship, United States Institute of Peace (Declined)
2008 Grassroots Development Dissertation Fellowship, Inter-American Foundation (Declined)
- American Political Science Association
- Latino Caucus of the American Political Science Association
- Latin American Studies Association
- Urban Affairs Association
“Crime, Violence and Victimization in Settings of Crime and War.” Keynote Lecture, Latin American Peace Science Society, Universidad ICESI, Colombia, January 2025.
“Resistir a la Extorsión: Victimas, Crimen y Estados en América Latina.” CLACSO, Grupo de Trabajo Vigilantismo, Violencia Colectiva, y Gobernanza Securitaria, August 2024.
“Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America.” Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia, July 2024
“Criminal Governance in Latin America.” Guest Lecture, University of California, Santa Cruz, May 2024.
Discussant on Book Panel for Two Faces of Fear: Violence and Inequality in the Mexican Metropolis by Ana Villareal (Sociology, Boston University), Urban Affairs Association Annual Meeting, April 2024, New York City, New York.
“Methodological Innovations for Conducting Research in Contexts of Insecurity and Violence.” Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú. Fall 2023.
“Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America.” Department of Political Science, Comparative Politics Colloquium, University of California, Berkeley, Spring 2024.
“Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America.” Carleton College, Spring 2023.
“Deepening Democracy Under Criminal Governance? Comparative Insights from Mexico City.” Workshop on Political Violence in Comparative Perspective, Yale University, November 2022.
“Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America.” Department of Political Science, Washington College, Spring 2023.
“Resistencia a la Extorsión: Victimas, Criminales y Estados en América Latina.” Centro de Estudios sobre Seguridad y Drogas (Center for the Study of Security and Drugs), CESED, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia, May 2022.
“Resistencia a la Extorsión: Victimas, Criminales y Estados en América Latina.” Centro de Estudios Sobre Seguridad, Inteligencia, y Gobernanza (Center for the Study of Security, Intelligence, and Governance), ITAM, Mexico, May 2022.
“Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and State in Latin America.” Latin American Studies Symposium, Colby College, April 2022.
“Resistencia a la Extorsión: Victimas, Criminales y Estados en América Latina.” Programa para el Estudio de la Violencia (Program for the Study of Violence), CIDE, Mexico, April 2022.
“Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America.” Latin American Tuesday Seminar Series, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS), Harvard University, February 2022.
“Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America.” Comparative Politics Seminar Series, Department of Political Science, University of Oregon, February 2022.
“Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America.” Baptisa Lecture Series, Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC), York University, Toronto, Canada, November 2021.
“Resistencia a la Extorsión: Victimas, Criminales y Estados en América Latina.” Presentation for Coaliciones por la Resiliencia (Coalitions for Resilience), Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, February 2021.
“The Covid-19 Crisis: Effects on Crime and Public Security in Latin America.” Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Michigan, November 2020.
Discussant on “Authoritarian Police in Democracies,” a book presentation by Professor Yanilda González (Harvard University), David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS), Harvard University, November 2020.
“Criminal Extortion in Latin America.” Conference on Comparative Perspectives on Criminal Violence. Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), Mexico City, November 2020.
“The Role of Protection by Non-State Actors in the War on Drugs.” Conference on Between War Making and Peace Building: Mexico’s War on Drugs Revisited (2007-2020). Center for US-Mexican Studies/University of California, San Diego and George Washington University, August 2020.
“Applying for the ACLS Fellowship.” Virtual Workshop on “Applying for the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Fellowship from Liberal Arts Colleges,” ACLS, August 2020.
“Explaining Organizational Change in Vigilante Groups.” Workshop on Lynching in Global Comparative Perspective. Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, July 2020.
“Crisis, Security and Covid-19.” Webinar hosted by SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, June 2020.
“Criminal Governance in Latin America under Covid-19.” Webinar on Crime, State Weakness and Criminal Governance under Covid-19. Institute of Latin American Studies, Columbia University, March 2020.
“Piecing Together Vigilantism in El Salvador.” Workshop on Civilian Agency and Civilian Protection in Violence Settings, McGill University, Canada, January 2020.
“Diversity in Academia and Political Science.” Centennial Conversation, American Council of Learned Societies, New York, September 2019.
“The Politics of Resistance to Criminal Victimization in Latin America.” Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) External Speaker Series; Comparative Politics Speakers Series, University of Pennsylvania, March, 2019.
Book Launch, Discussant for Homicidal Ecologies: Illicit Economies and Complicit States in Latin America by Deborah J. Yashar. Princeton University, March 2019.
“The Politics of Resistance to Criminal Victimization in Latin America.” Qualitative Research Colloquium, Department of Politics, Princeton University, February 26, 2019.
“The Politics of Resistance to Criminal Victimization in Latin America.” Workshop on Culture, Power and History, University of Georgia, February 15, 2019.
“The Politics of Resistance to Criminal Victimization in Latin America.” Program in Latin American Studies, Fellows Lecture, Princeton University, December 11, 2018, Princeton, NJ.
“The Politics of Criminal Victimization in Latin America.” Symposium on Violence, Organizations and Political Psychology in Latin America, Center for Latin American Studies, Stanford University, November 9, 2018, Palo Alto, CA.
“The Politics of Criminal Victimization in Latin America.” Conference on Criminal Governance, University of Chicago, October 25-27, 2018, Chicago, IL.
“Resisting Protection: The Politics of Criminal Victimization.” American Political Science Association 2018 Annual Meeting, August 30-September 1, 2018, Boston, MA.
“Criminal Topographies: Rethinking Criminal Politics as State-Building.” Annual conference of the Program on Governance and Local Development (GLD), University of Gothenburg and Yale University, Sweden, May 30-June 1, 2018.
“Resisting Protection? Variation in Forms of Resistance to Protection Rackets.” Second conference on Confronting Vulnerability and Violence in the Urban Century. University of Pittsburgh, April 2018.
“A Relational Perspective on the Politics of Criminal Victimization.” Comparative Politics Workshop, The Graduate School, City University of New York (CUNY), March 28, 2018.
“Resisting Protection? Variation in Forms of Resistance to Protection Rackets.” War and Peace Program and Latin American Studies Program Speaker Series. Ohio University, November 2, 2017.
“Protection Rackets, Resources, and Resistance in Latin America.” Symposium on Perpetual Resistance: Societies and Violence in Latin America, Florida International University, Washington, D.C., September 2017.
“Private Sector Interests and Public Goods: Citizen Security in Developing World Cities.” Conference on Safe and Inclusive Cities of 2017. International Development Research Centre and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, Nairobi, Kenya, May 26-29, 2017.
“Protection Rackets, Resources, and Resistance in Latin America.” Political Science Speaker Series. Cornell University, NY, February 2017.
“Resisting Protection? Variation in Forms of Resistance to Protection Rackets.” Political Science Speaker Series. University of Connecticut, CT, January 2017.
“Resisting Protection? Variation in Forms of Resistance to Protection Rackets.” Confronting Vulnerability and Violence in the Urban Century. University of Pittsburgh, PA, November 2016.
“Varieties of Vigilantism: Conceptual Discord, Meaning, and Strategies.” Unequal Security in the Americas Conference. Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University, RI, April 2016.
“Varieties of Vigilantism: Conceptual Discord, Meaning, and Strategies.” Criminal Actors in the Americas Conference, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, April 2016.
“The Politics of Urban Violence in Latin America,” Greater Caribbean Speaker Series, Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS), Columbia University, NY, March 2016.
“Resisting Protection? Variation in Forms of Resistance to Protection Rackets.” Inequality and the Rule of Law in Mexico Conference. Columbia University and CIDE (Mexico), NY, September 2016.
“Cities, Business, and the Politics of Urban Violence,” School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, October 2014.
"Cities, Business, and the Politics of Urban Violence in Latin America," American Political Science Association (APSA) Short Course on Urbanization and Local Politics in the Developing World, Washington, DC, August 2014.
"Private Interests and Public Security: A Political Economy of Urban Violence," Seminar on Security, Citizenship, and Violence in Latin America, Instituto Tecnólogico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Mexico City, Mexico, November 2013.
"Urban Regimes and Violence in Latin America: Crossing Geographic and Scholarly Borders," Faculty Research Workshop, Rutgers University, October 2013.
"Urban Regimes and Violence in Latin America: Crossing Geographic and Scholarly Borders," Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, New York University, New York, NY, October 2013.
Discussant, "The Citizen Insecurity Tipping Points," Conference on Public/Citizen Insecurity in Latin America: A Regional Challenge, Stanford University, Instituto Tecnólogico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mexico City, Mexico, March 2013.
Expert Participant, "Global Thematic Consultation on Conflict and Fragility and the Post-2015 Development Agenda," UNDP, Panama City, Panama, January 2013.
"Politics, Violence and Citizen Security in Latin America," Seminar on US-Latin American Relations, Queen's College - City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY, November 2012.
“Clientelism, Business, and Violence in Latin America,” Conflict, Security and Development Speaker Series, Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, School of Law, New York University, September 2012.
"Securing the Private Sector: The Role of Business in the Politics of Urban Violence," Conference on Drugs Wars in the Americas, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University, April 2012.
“Violence and Development," Seminar on Politics of International Development, New York University, New York, NY, March 2012.
“Sector Privado y Seguridad Ciudadana," Conference on Violence in Neighborhoods in Latin America, Centro de Estudios en Seguridad Ciudadana, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, October 2011.
Workshop Discussant, Program on Order, Conflict and Violence Workshop, Yale University, New Haven, CT, April 2011.
“Politics, Business and Violence: Urban Security in Colombia (1988-2008),” Program on Order, Conflict and Violence, Yale University, New Haven, CT, April 2011.
“Politics, Business and Violence: Urban Security in Colombia (1988-2008),” The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY, March 2011.
Workshop Discussant, “Security and Urban Governance,” Irmgard Coninx Foundation, Berlin, Germany, March 2009.
“Solutions to Insecurity: The Para-State and Citizen Security,” Irmgard Coninx Foundation, Berlin, Germany, March 2009.
“Politics of Urban Violence in Latin America,” Society for Comparative Research Graduate Student Retreat, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, May 2008.
“Violence in Latin America,” Spatial Analysis-S4 Institute, Brown University, August 2006.
Publications
1. Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America. (Cambridge Studies in
Comparative Politics Series, Cambridge University Press, 2021).
• Honorable Mention, Bryce Wood Book Award, Latin American Studies Association
• Honorable Mention, Giovanni Sartori Book Award, Qualitative and Multi-Method Research Section, American Political Science Association
• Outstanding Book Award, Division of International Criminology, American Society of Criminology
• Best Publication Award, Defense, Public Security and Democracy Section, Latin American Studies Association
• Co-Winner, Best Book Award, International Association for the Study of Organized Crime
• Reviewed in Foreign Affairs, Latin American Politics and Society, Perspectives on Politics, and Choice Reviews.
• Invited for “Author Exchange” in American Political Science Association’s Democracy and Autocracy Section Newsletter.
• “Author Meets Critics” panel at 2022 Annual Meeting of American Political Science Association.
2. Cities, Business, and the Politics of Urban Violence in Latin America. (Stanford University Press,
2016).
• Reviewed in Journal of Politics, Journal of Latin American Studies, Latin American Politics & Society, Latin American Research Review, Latin American Perspectives, and Perspectives on Politics.
Edited Volumes
1. Giraudy, Agustina, Moncada, Eduardo, and Snyder, Richard. Inside Countries: Subnational Research in Comparative Politics. (Cambridge University Press, 2019). Note: Authors listed in alphabetical order and contributed equally.
• Reviewed in Perspectives on Politics.
• “Author Meets Critics” panel at 2019 Annual Meeting of American Political Science Association.
“Urban Violence, Political Economy, and Territorial Control: Insights from Medellin.” Latin American Research Review. Forthcoming.
“The Politics of Urban Violence: Challenges to Development in the Global South.” Studies in Comparative International Development. Vol. 48, No. 3. 2013, pp. 217-39.
“Business and the Politics of Urban Violence in Colombia.” Studies in Comparative International Development. Vol. 48, No. 3. 2013, pp. 308-30.
“Counting Bodies: Crime Mapping, Policing and Race in Colombia.” Ethnic and Racial Studies. Vol. 33, No. 4. April 2010, pp. 696-716.
“Toward Democratic Policing in Colombia? Institutional Accountability through Lateral Reform.” Comparative Politics. Vol. 41, No. 4. July 2009, pp. 431-49.