Abby Córdova’s  research program relies on a multidisciplinary approach to examine the causes and consequences of inequality and marginalization, integrating topics related to violence against women, organized crime, militarization, and international migration in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. Along with several collaborative projects about gender-based violence in the region, Abby is working on a book manuscript that examines the role of the state in increasing the risk of gender-based violence in countries in the Global South marked by organized crime and the militarization of public security. Her current research has been supported by a Harry Frank Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar Award and grants from Evidence in Government and Politics (EGAP) as well as Kellogg's Ford Program in Human Development and Solidarity, Notre Dame Research, and Notre Dame International. Her published work has also been recognized with a  Sophonisba Breckinridge Award from the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) and a Mirian Irish award from the Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) for best papers on the topic of gender and politics. Her work includes two book projects and recently published  articles examining the attitudinal and behavioral effects of policy responses to violence against women:

• Córdova, Abby. Violence against Women in Multi-Violence Contexts: Militarization and Organized Criminal Groups’ Territorial Control. Book project.
• Córdova, Abby and Natán Skigin. Dangerous Stereotypes: Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and Integration Policy Preferences in Latin America. Book project under advanced contract at Cambridge University Press Element, Politics and Society in Latin America Series, publication expected in 2024.
• Córdova, Abby, and Helen Kras. 2022. “State Action to Prevent Violence against Women:The Effect of Women’s Police Stations on Men’s Attitudes toward Gendered Violence” Journal of Politics 84(01): 1-17.
• Córdova, Abby and Helen Kras. 2020. “Addressing Violence against Women: The Effect of Women’s Police Stations on Police Legitimacy.” Comparative Political Studies 53(5): 775-808.

Anivesh Bharadwaj analyzes legal arguments to develop international institutions that acknowledge gendered identities of victims of genocide to redress gender-based violence in the Global South. His research shows that the current definition and limited recognition of gender-based violence ignores the intersectionality of the gendered identities of victims and reduces the gender-based persecution to sexual assault.

Géssica de Freitas investigates legislative outcomes on gender issues during conservative administrations, focusing on Brazil. Along with Abby Córdova, Géssica examines evidence on the effects of a higher representation of women in the police on citizens’ attitudes toward the police and gender-based violence as well as impacts on the incidence of violence against women and reporting rates in Brazil.

Laura Netfaly López-Pérez examines collective action of victims of criminal violence, often led by women, focusing on families of disappeared persons in Mexico.

Mayra Ortiz Ocaña explores the conditions under which specialized prosecution offices effectively prosecute crimes in violent contexts such as Mexico.

Isabella Henriquez research agenda includes the developmental effects of violence in childhood. She is a research assistant to Abby Córdova tasked with verifying the accuracy of trial transcripts based on machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques.

Sandra Ley currently heads the Security Program at México Evalúa and previously was Associate Professor in the Political Studies Division at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica (CIDE) in Mexico City. Sandra examines criminal violence and its impacts on political behavior, focusing on Mexico. Along with Guillermo Trejo, professor at the University of Notre Dame, she co-authored the book entitled Votes, Drugs, and Violence. The Political Logic of Criminal Wars in Mexico (published in English by Cambridge University Press, 2020, and in Spanish by Debate, 2022), which was awarded as the Best Book of Autocracy and Democracy Section of the American Political Science Association. Together with Abby Córdova and Celine Gonzalez, Sandra conducts research on the effects of civil society’s engagement with emergency alert systems on preventing and eradicating violence against women in Mexico.

Celine Gonzalez is a senior researcher at the Security Program at México Evalúa. Her work centers on gender-based violence in political campaigns in Mexican subnational units, partnering with UN Women. Alongside with Abby Córdova and Sandra Ley, Celine investigates the effects of civil society’s engagement with emergency alert systems on preventing and eradicating violence against women in México.

Isabel Laterzo is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Her work investigates the involvement of police in politics, under what circumstances citizens support punitive policies, and how the identities (gender, race, and ethnicity) of politicians and citizens affects public security politics. In joint work with Abby Córdova, she is exploring how citizens interpret and justify the political involvement of law enforcement officials in Brazil.

Carlos Schmidt-Padilla is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Penn Development Research Initiative and Data Driven Discovery Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. Carlos examines the impact of organized crime on development and institutional stability and the implications of migration patterns on political and economic development in Latin America. Together with Abby Córdova, Carlos explores gender biases in court rulings in the context of Latin America and the impact of violence against women on health outcomes.

Angie Torres is a PhD candidate in Government at Cornell University. Her dissertation develops a novel framework for understanding state responses to gender-based violence and the consequences thereof on women’s political development and notions of justice. Angie and Abby Córdova are working on a project that examines citizens’ responses to gender-based violence vis-a-vis other forms of crime in Mexico, including willingness to mobilize politically to demand justice for victims.