Importance Understanding global variation in firearm mortality rates could guide prevention
policies and interventions. Objective To estimate mortality due to firearm injury deaths from …

Over the last few decades, drug trafficking organizations in Latin America became infamous
for their shocking public crimes, from narcoterrorist assaults on the Colombian political …

Over the past thirty years, a new form of conflict has ravaged Latin America's largest
countries, with well-armed drug cartels fighting not only one another but the state itself. In …

In 2006, the Mexican government launched an aggressive campaign to weaken drug-
trafficking organizations (DTOs). The security policies differed significantly from those of …

The goal of this paper is to examine the effect of inequality on crime rates in a unique
context, Mexico's drug war. The analysis exploits an original dataset containing inequality …

State interventions against organized criminal groups (OCGs) sometimes work to improve
security, but often exacerbate violence. To understand why, this article offers a theory about …

We study how representation works in a context where accountability to voters is restricted
because of term limits and accountability to parties is limited because of party weakness …

While worldwide crime is declining overall, criminality in Latin America has reached
unprecedented levels that have ushered in social unrest and political turmoil. Despite major …

Criminal groups govern millions worldwide. Even in strong states, gangs resolve disputes
and provide security. Why do these duopolies of coercion emerge? In many cases, gangs fill …

Why are some territories ravaged by intense levels of criminal violence while others are
relatively peaceful? This research contributes to an understanding of the escalation and …