Isabel G. Laterzo-Tingley

I am an Assistant Professor and Fellow of the Wilbur J. Cohen Professorship in Health and Social Policy in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Department of Government (by courtesy) at the University of Texas at Austin. I am also a faculty associate of the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS), and an affiliated researcher of the Fundação Getulio Vargas. I received my PhD in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

My research focuses on the Americas, with an emphasis on how violence, crime, and state security institutions shape politics. I am also interested in social policy (and how it relates to topics of violence and crime), public health, and the political representation of certain occupations (e.g., police, doctors, experts) more broadly. My book project, Uniformed Representation: The Electoral Rise of Security Officials in Democratic Brazil, investigates the rise of law enforcement and military officials as electoral candidates, the conditions that facilitate their political entry, and the implications of their growing political influence. This book is based on my dissertation, which received APSA’s Best Dissertation in Human Rights Award, SPSA’s Best Graduate Student Paper Award, and an honorable mention for the QMMR Qualitative Evidence Award.

My research is published in journals such as the British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, Political Research Quarterly, Research & Politics, and the Journal of Criminal Justice. It has been referenced by news outlets such as O Estado de São Paulo, A Folha de São Paulo, and El Diaro de Júarez, and I have written popular press pieces for The Washington Post and Lawfare. My work has been supported by the H.F. Guggenheim Foundation, Fulbright-Hays, the U.S. Department of State, and USAID, among other organizations.

You can reach me by email at isabel.laterzo@austin.utexas.edu