I’m a PhD candidate in Government at Cornell University. My research focuses on criminal governance and public-security preferences in Latin America. I am mainly interested in the implications of organized crime for political economy and political behavior, but I also study the use of AI in law enforcement, migration, and public service provision.
In my dissertation and book project, The Politics of Feeling Unsafe: How Emotions Shape Public Security Preferences, I examine how individuals choose between supporting punitive policing and backing negotiated, violence-reducing arrangements between the state and criminal organizations. I conducted field and lab research in Mexico—primarily Puebla and Mexico City—between 2023 and 2024, complemented by focus groups, surveys, and
longitudinal data. I argue that to understand contemporary security preferences, we must grapple with the emotions crime evokes—especially anger and fear. In brief, anger tends to produce support for punitivism, whereas fear increases backing for state–cartel negotiations and truces between rival gangs.
I grew up in Argentina and hold a BA in International Relations from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella and an MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS. I have served as a visiting researcher at CIDE (Mexico City) and BUAP (Puebla). My work has received support from Cornell’s Graduate School and the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.