Violence and Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean Seminar Series
HOSTING ORGANIZATIONS:
When it comes to combating crime and homicide in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) —home to 41 of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world—policymakers have few tested tools at their disposal. Although evidence is scarce, recent efforts to produce rigorous research is helping to broaden our understanding of what works in reducing violence and crime in the region.
The Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) at the University of Chicago, Princeton University, and Innovations for Poverty Action are pleased to announce the launch of a new series focusing on violence and crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. This monthly series aims to shed light on novel innovative research on violence and crime in the LAC region and its policy implications.
This webinars will be held in both English and Spanish. Translation from English to Spanish and vice versa will be provided.
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NEXT SEMINAR
In this webinar, Patricio Dominguez (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) will present new findings, which show that immigration was found to increase citizens’ crime-related concerns and preventive actions, such as increasing home security, despite detecting no significant impact on crime rates due to rising immigration rates. The study explores possible mechanisms including the media’s influence in shaping public perception. Francisco Galli (former Chilean Undersecretary of Interior) will comment on the policy implications of this research. A 10-minute Q&A will follow the presentation. A 10-minute Q&A will follow the presentation. Register here.
Watch Previous Seminars
HOSTING ORGANIZATIONS:
The Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) at the University of Chicago, Princeton University, and Innovations for Poverty Action are pleased to host this series focusing on violence and crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. This monthly series aims to shed light on novel innovative research on violence and crime in the LAC region and its policy implications.
When it comes to combating crime and homicide in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) —home to 41 of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world—policymakers have few tested tools at their disposal. Although evidence is scarce, recent efforts to produce rigorous research is helping to broaden our understanding of what works in reducing violence and crime in the region.
As policymakers look for non-police responses to crime and violence, interventions informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are becoming increasingly popular. These interventions seek to address the violence that springs from poor decision-making and distorted thinking by helping people learn how to think and react differently. Some questions still remain about the long-term effects of these interventions and there is still little evidence of their effectiveness outside the US. However, a program in Liberia has shown to be effective in preventing antisocial behaviors in high-risk young men using CBT-informed therapy and training.
In this webinar, Chris Blattman (University of Chicago) presented the results of of his research in Liberia, 10 years after the original intervention. Pablo Vazquez (Mexico City Ministry of Citizen Security) commented on the policy implications of this research. A 10-minute Q&A followed the presentation.
This series is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. Each seminar will be presented in English with Spanish simultaneous translation.
Subscribe to the mailing list to stay up to date on future seminars.
In recent years, one of the most prominent interventions seeking to address police violence has been body-worn cameras. It is believed that body-cameras can curb police violence by increasing supervisor’ monitoring capacity and by increasing the probability that police are prosecuted and convicted for abusive behavior. Thus far, the evidence available is mixed and comes mostly from RCTs conducted in the U.S. Context clearly matters and it is critical to understand the effects induced by the use of body-cameras in more violent settings, such as the ones observed in Latin America.
In this webinar, Beatriz Magaloni presented the results of the first randomized experiment on police body-cameras in a high-violence setting: Río de Janeiro, Brazil. Tania Pinc commented on the implications of this research. A 10-minute Q&A will follow the presentation.
The deployment of the armed forces to support domestic policing operations has been used across multiple countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. While it has supporters among those who advocate for an “iron fist” approach to high levels of crime, especially in contexts with constrained police forces, detractors express concerns about the potential for human rights abuses at the hands of soldiers trained for combat. New findings from a study in Colombia brought rigorous evidence to the debate.
In this webinar, Michael Weintraub (Universidad de los Andes) discussed his randomized impact evaluation, carried out with coauthor Rob Blair (Brown University), of recurring, intensive military patrols to reduce crime in Cali, Colombia. Santiago Perez Vincent (Inter-American Development Bank) commented on the implications of this research.
This webinar series is held in both English and Spanish. Translation from English to Spanish and vice versa is provided.
Violence and delinquency levels in Central America are among the highest in the world and violent deaths in the region are more common during adolescence. Evidence suggests that adolescents with early exposure to violence tend to be involved in crimes later in life. Also, in the context of poverty, stress and instability may lead to short-sighted decision making among the young. How can we tackle young people’s exposure to and participation in crime?
In this webinar, Lelys Dinarte Diaz (World Bank) will present her research on the learning and protection channels of an after-school program with psychology-based curricula oriented to reduce school-based violence of teenagers in public schools in the most violent neighborhoods of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Cristian Crespo (Ministry of the Interior and Public Security of Chile) will comment on the implications of this research. A 10-minute Q&A will follow this presentation.
Between 2011 and 2018, shooting and homicide rates fell by around 50 percent in New York City . During this time, there was a prominent shift in policing tactics from a regime of mass enforcement centered on frequent street stops and field interrogations to a regime of precision policing, in which the department focused on a smaller number of suspected criminal organizations which were thought to drive gun violence in the city.
In this webinar, Aaron Chalfin (University of Pennsylvania) presented evidence on the effectiveness of signature policy of the new policing regime in New York City: targeted “gang takedowns” in the city’s public housing communities. Thomas Abt (Council on Criminal Justice) commented on the implications of this research.
The infiltration of political institutions by organized crime is a serious problem in many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Could these ties between criminal organizations and institutions be an obstacle for economic growth? Evidence on the effects of a policy that removed (allegedly) corrupt city councils and mayors from municipalities in Italy gives us some insights on the potential of anti-corruption policies to contribute to economic development.
In this webinar, Alessandra Fenizia (George Washington University), presented her research on the effects of city council dismissals on economic activity in the municipalities in which it was implemented in Italy. Gianmarco Daniele (University of Milan) commented on the implications of this research. A 10-minute Q&A followed the presentations.
Neighborhoods are some of the strongest determinants of both economic opportunity and criminal activity. Does improving connectedness between segregated and unequal parts of cities import opportunity or export crime? Using new administrative data from Medellín, Colombia, and the rollout of a cable car system, the researchers model how the decisions of individuals on where to work and whether to engage in criminal activity are affected by changes in transportation costs.
In this webinar, Jorge Tamayo (Harvard Business School) will present his research on the relationship between the spatial distribution of criminal activity and legitimate employment, and the connections between segregated neighborhoods. Luis Fernando Agudelo (Medellín Cómo Vamos) will comment on the implications of this work. A 10-minute Q&A will follow the presentations.
Gangs like Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, are known for having complete territorial control over urban neighborhoods, with violence and extortion as their main activities. In countries with low state capacity, these activities can limit socio-economic development in those areas.
A particularly common and controversial policy, which governments have used in an attempt to limit the negative consequences of gang violence, is to broker a truce between gangs in order to reduce competition. In El Salvador, for example, cooperation between gangs appears to have reduced violence, but little is known about the effect on extortion, the main revenue source for gangs, and the impact on households.
In this webinar, Eduardo Montero (University of Michigan) and Mica Sviatschi (Princeton University) discussed their research on how gangs affect the economic conditions in the areas where they rule, and the role of truces.
From Brazil to El Salvador, prison gangs have transformed the state’s disciplinary institutions into headquarters for their criminal activities. At the same time, they govern—providing order and physical safety for millions of low-income residents across vast informal peripheries neglected by governments. The leading example is Brazil’s Primerio Comando da Capital (PCC), which since the early 2000s has enjoyed a criminal monopoly in São Paulo, imposing a peaceful social order in the urban periphery. Its subsequent expansion into every state in Brazil triggered the rise of local prison gangs that emulate and often confront the PCC. The PCC’s superior organization gives it advantages over rivals; however, it has also faced setbacks and resistance. But has the PCC’s power come about ‘naturally’ or is it in some ways enabled by existing government policies?
In this webinar, Benjamin Lessing (University of Chicago) presented his research on prison gangs in Brazil. Joana Monteiro (Rio de Janeiro’s Prosecutor Office/ FGV) discussed the policy implications of this work.
Can intensifying municipal and community governance displace gang rule? Urban criminal groups rule tens to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Despite their prevalence in cities around the world, there is little information available to policymakers about effective strategies to reduce their influence. In Medellín, Colombia, gangs instill a form of order and justice in the communities in which they operate. This research tests the role and impact of an anti-gang intervention designed in partnership with the City of Medellín and community officials that aims to increase the role of the city government in providing public services and reduce the role and control of criminal gangs.
The first seminar featured Harris Public Policy’s Christopher Blattman, Universidad EAFIT’s Santiago Tobón, Princeton University’s Maria Micaela Sviatschi, and the Republic of Colombia’s Jairo García, and was moderated by IPA Peru’s Bárbara Sparrow.