The Rise and Stall of Infrastructure in Latin America with Political Scientist Alisha Holland

The Accountability Dilemma: Experimental Evidence from Brazil’s Democratic Reckoning with Fernando Bizzarro and Fernando Ojesto

This episode features Fernando Bizzarro, assistant professor of political science at Boston College, and Fernando Ojesto, Kellogg Institute guest scholar, exploring the “accountability dilemma” through the case of Brazil and the legal actions against former President Jair Bolsonaro. Drawing on survey data from 5,800 citizens, the conversation looks at how holding illiberal leaders accountable can reduce their public support – but also trigger backlash against democratic institutions. The episode highlights the difficult trade-offs democracies face when trying to defend themselves in highly polarized contexts.

Democracies in Latin America at a Crossroads with Juanita Goebertus of Human Rights Watch

This conversation explores the major challenges facing democracies across Latin America and the Caribbean today. It analyzes the strategies employed by increasingly authoritarian governments, and reflects on the institutional and political shortcomings within democratic systems. At the same time, the discussion highlights potential sources of resilience and emerging areas of hope for the future of democracy in the region.

The Rise and Stall of Infrastructure in Latin America with Political Scientist Alisha Holland

In this episode of Global Stage, political scientist Alisha Holland, Gates Professor of Developing Societies at Harvard University’s Department of Government, describes elements of her book project on the rise and stall of infrastructure projects in Latin America. In conversation with Kellogg Doctoral Affiliate Patrick McQuestion, Holland describes the discursive transition from traditional public works to public-private infrastructure partnerships and the risks involved in financing and overseeing these projects today. In countries like Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, major infrastructure contracts can be leveraged by government executives to finance electoral campaigns and other political goals. But these high-level forms of corruption can be interrupted by scandals, inhibitory institutions, and civil resistance, stalling construction sometimes for years. Holland describes her approach to studying infrastructure in the field, providing valuable insight into multimethod research at work.

Inside Venezuela’s Struggle for Democracy: A Conversation with Paola Bautista de Alemán

Venezuelan journalist and political activist Paola Bautista de Alemán joins Adriana Albanus, PhD student in Political Science and Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate, for a conversation on Venezuela’s long fight for freedom and democratic renewal. Drawing on her work as director of FORMA, Bautista de Alemán reflects on how democratic values are sustained under authoritarian pressure. The episode also examines the international aftermath of the recent U.S. operation that captured Nicolás Maduro and the competing debates it triggered and what external pressure can (and can’t) achieve for a democratic transition.

Disappearances and Selective Violence in Mexico with Data Scientist Jorge Ruiz Reyes

Jorge Ruiz Reyes, Research Associate at the Kellogg Institute, joins Ángel Muñoz Carpintero, JSD student and Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate, to discuss the role of open-source methods and technologies in documenting human rights violations. Ruiz Reyes, who holds a master’s in social data science from the University of Oxford, reflects on his work with Kellogg's Violence and Transitional Justice Lab (VT-J), developing tools to analyze disappearances and selective violence in Mexico.