Re-election means voters can hold elected officials accountable, but can it be effective where criminal groups shape local politics? In my new article in @BJPolS, I show that in high-crime areas of Mexico, re-election did not boost accountability, but increased collusion instead.

Rather than deepening democracy, re-election in these contexts helped embed illicit actors. That means fewer challengers, more state protection, and weaker citizen oversight. This highlights the need for institutional guardrails in high-crime areas to protect local democracy.

Excited to have co-organized the #APSA2024 Mini-Conference on Democracy and Organized Crime! Featuring cutting-edge research on how criminal groups influence elections, governance, policing, and voter behavior. Thanks to all who presented and participated! #PoliticalScience

Yesterday's Mini-Conference on Organized Crime at #MPSA was a blast! 🎉 Co-organizing with the wonderful @mramirezbust was an absolute highlight. Huge shout out to all the amazing scholars who presented their research & shared their insights on such an important topic.

And @JoseRamonEG, @neftalylyn, @Meg_Frost_, @gusvalo, @Le_OscarAlvaro, @LauraRBlume, @Gtrejo29, @a___junqueira

*Phenomenal* past two days at the Illicit Economies and Extra-Legal Actors conference hosted by @USMEXUCSD & @UCIGCC. I have been absolutely amazed by the generosity, kindness, & support of each participant at the conference, from senior scholars to fellow graduate students (1/3)

A massive thank you to the organizers, of this event, without whom this would not have been possible: @Nick_Barnes81 @tiscornia21 @farfan_cc @LauraRBlume and @clestancona (2/3)