Nicholas Barnes is a PhD candidate in comparative politics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include organized crime, political violence, social movements, urban development, and public security. His dissertation, “Monopolies of Violence: Gang Governance in Rio de Janeiro” examines the nature of political authority and the variation in governing strategies of drug trafficking gangs in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. He is currently a recipient of Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council’s Drugs, Security and Democracy in Latin America and the International Dissertation Research Fellowships as well as the Department of Education through the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad.
Mobilizing Ideas 