Building Democratic Resilience: Institutions and Attitudes in Latin America

Event Status
Scheduled

Building Democratic Resilience: Institutions and Attitudes in Latin America 

This workshop brings together emerging and established scholars working on pressing issues related to democracy and its core components in Latin America. This workshop brings together experts who are deepening our understanding of the interplay between structural constraints and societal support in fostering or undermining democracy. Papers in the workshop focus on a diverse set of questions related to democracy and its quality, ranging from examining citizens’ commitments to democracy, the role of misinformation, policing and security, and clientelism.  

Hosted by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin 

Faculty Organizers: Diego Romero and Isabel Laterzo-Tingley

All presentations will be followed by dedicated comments from assigned discussants and Q&A from the audience. UT-Austin faculty and students are welcome to attend panels as members of the audience.  

08:30 – 09:15 am | Breakfast [by invitation] 

09:15 – 09:30 am | Brief welcome + logistics 

09:30 – 11:00 am | Panel 1 [3 papers, 90 minutes]

Gang Crackdowns 

Presenter: Carlos Schmitt Padilla (UC-Berkeley) 

Why do Voters Comply During Clientelist Exchanges? Affective Clientelism, the Commitment Problem, and Expressive Partisanship in Mexico 

Presenter: Nicolás de la Cerda (Tulane University) 

Citizens' Commitment to Democracy: Easier Said Than Done? 

Presenter: Natalia Garbiras Diaz (Harvard University) 

11:00 – 11:30 am | Break  

11:30 – 12:30 pm | Panel 2 [2 papers, 60 minutes]

The Fading Shadow of Dictatorship: How Generational Decline in Authoritarian Memory Shapes Democratic Attitudes 

Presenter: Miguel Carreras (UC-Riverside) 

Uniformed Representation 

Presenter: Isabel Laterzo-Tingley (UT-Austin) 

12:30 – 01:30 pm | Lunch [by invitation] 

01:30 – 02:30 pm | Panel 3 [2 papers, 60 minutes]

The Economic Foundations of Illicit Power: DTO Strategies and Their Political Consequences in Guatemala 

Presenter: Diego Romero (UT-Austin) 

(De)Mobilizing Effects of Misinformation 

Presenter: Natalia Bueno (Emory University) 

02:30 – 03:00 pm | Break

03:00 – 04:30 pm | Panel 4 [2 papers, 60 minutes] 

Cartel Expansion and Networks of State Capture in Mexico 

Presenter: Marco Alcocer (UC-Merced) 

Beyond Goods for Votes: The Multi-Dimensional Nature of Clientelistic Offers in Guatemala 

Presenter: Mateo Villamizar Chaparro (Catholic University of Uruguay) 

Presenters:


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Date and Time
March 6, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Google Outlook iCal