OMAR GARCÍA-PONCE

I am an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. Previously, I served as an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD) in Washington, DC. I am also a member of the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) network. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from New York University and earned a B.A. in Politics and Public Administration from El Colegio de México. 

I study the causes and impacts of contemporary forms of intrastate violence, ranging from local criminal gangs to armed rebellions to transnational organized crime groups. My regional focus is Latin America, with most of my current projects centered on the case of Mexico. However, my broad interest in the study of criminal and political violence has led me to conduct research and write about other regions, including South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the United States. I use an eclectic mix of methodological approaches in my research, often relying on experimental and quasi-experimental designs, survey methods, in-depth interviews, archival research, and intensive fieldwork.

My work has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, the American Political Science Review, the Journal of the European Economic Association, the Journal of Peace Research, Political Science Research and Methods, and World Politics, among other journals. It has also received mentions in The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Slate, Time, and various other media outlets. This research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research, and several internal grant awards. To view my publications, visit my Research page or Google Scholar profile.