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. 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.  

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)

Discussant: Isabel Laterzo-Tingley (UT-Austin) 

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

Presenter: Nicolás de la Cerda (Tulane University) 

Discussant: Miguel Carreras (UC-Riverside) 

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

Presenter: Diego Romero (UT-Austin) 

Discussant: Carlos Schmitt Padilla (UC-Berkeley) 

11:00 – 11:30 am | Coffee Break  

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

The Rise of the Religious Conservative Left in Latin America

Presenter: Danissa Contreras Guzmán (UT-Austin)

Discussant: NA

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

Presenter: Miguel Carreras (UC-Riverside) 

Discussant: Nicolás de la Cerda (Tulane University)

12:30 – 01:30 pm | Lunch 

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

Citizens' Commitment to Democracy: Easier Said Than Done?

Presenter: Natalia Garbiras Diaz (Harvard University) 

Discussant: Mateo Villamizar Chaparro (Catholic University of Uruguay) 

Uniformed Representation

Presenter: Isabel Laterzo-Tingley (UT-Austin) 

Discussant: Natalia Bueno (Emory University) 

02:30 – 03:00 pm | Break

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

(De)Mobilizing Effects of Misinformation

Presenter:Natalia Bueno (Emory University) 

Discussant: Diego Romero (UT-Austin) 

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

Presenter: Mateo Villamizar Chaparro (Catholic University of Uruguay) 

Discussant: Natalia Garbiras Diaz (Harvard University) 

Presenters:


Date and Time
Friday, March 6, 2026, 9:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.