On May 19, 2021, Eduardo Moncada, assistant professor of political science, published a new co-authored article in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. The work, titled “COVID-19 and Organized Crime: the Politics of Illicit Markets, States, and the Pandemic,” demonstrates how the pandemic's economic and social impacts have altered the way in which criminal organizations across Latin America govern societies, economies, and politics. While the beginning of the pandemic saw declines in some forms of crime and violence in Latin America, the numbers are resurging, with record levels in certain regions. This research offers insights into criminal organizations and how they have reconfigured their influence on community dynamics through licit and illicit markets as COVID-19 challenges Latin America’s state capacity.
Later this year, Moncada will receive the Clarence Stone Scholar Award, which recognizes up to two young scholars who are making significant contributions to the study of urban politics.