Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law is housed in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Conflict
Recent Scholarly Publications
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Pandemic Spikes and Broken Spears: Indigenous Resilience after the Conquest of Mexico
In a new paper for the Journal of Historical Political Economy, Alberto Diaz-Cayeros and Saumitra Jha examine the conditions under which indigenous communities in Mexico were able to overcome the...
Living in Fear: The Dynamics of Extortion in Mexico’s Drug War
January 2020
Why do drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) sometimes prey on the communities in which they operate but sometimes provide assistance to these communities?
The Economic Costs of Drug-Trafficking Violence in Mexico
June 2017
The levels of violence in Mexico have dramatically increased in the last few years due to structural changes in the drug trafficking business.
Architects of Occupation
April 2017
The Allied occupation of Japan is remembered as the "good occupation." An American-led coalition successfully turned a militaristic enemy into a stable and democratic ally.
Threats, Alliances, and Electorates: Why Taiwan's Defense Spending Has Fallen as China's Has Risen
November 2015
Over the past 20 years, the military balance between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan has rapidly shifted.
The Beheading of Criminal Organizations and the Dynamics of Violence in Mexico’s Drug War [June 2015]
June 2015
In 2006 the Mexican government launched an aggressive campaign to weaken drug-trafficking organizations (DTOs).
The Beheading of Criminal Organizations and the Dynamics of Violence in Mexico’s Drug War
June 2015
In 2006 the Mexican government launched an aggressive campaign to weaken drug-trafficking organizations (DTOs).
The Economic Costs of Drug-Trafficking Violence in Mexico
December 2013
The levels of violence in Mexico have dramatically increased in the last few years due to structural changes in the drug trafficking business.
The Art of Counting the Governed: Census Accuracy, Civil War, and State Presence
October 2013
Abstract:Recent research in both political science and economics has stressed the importance of the state for providing public goods, curbing civil conict, and fostering economic growth.
Governing Security: The Hidden Origins of American Security Agencies
November 2012
Description from Stanford University Press:The impact of public law depends on how politicians secure control of public organizations, and how these organizations in turn are used to define...
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Islamist Militancy in South Asia
January 2010
Throughout its history, Pakistan has deliberately used non-state actors as a strategy of asymmetric warfare against stronger adversaries such as India and the Soviet Union.
Crime, War and Global Trafficking: Designing International Cooperation
July 2009
Globalization creates lucrative opportunities for traffickers of drugs, dirty money, blood diamonds, weapons, and other contraband.
Can Development Aid Contribute to Social Cohesion after Civil War? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Post-Conflict Liberia
May 2009
Civil war is very common in the developing world, with harmful welfare effects when it occurs.
Serbia's Bulldozer Revolution: Evaluating Internal and External Factors in Successful Democratic Breakthrough in Serbia
March 2009
(Excerpt) In 1987, Slobodan Milosevic showed promise as a modern liberator.
Is it Africa's Turn? Progress in the World's Poorest Region
May 2008
By the turn of this century, sub-Saharan Africa had experienced twenty-five years of economic and political disaster.
Africa's Revolutionary Deficit
July 2007
Somalia is once again on the front page--and the news isn't pretty.
Oil-Led Development: Social, Political, and Economic Consequences
January 2007
Proponents of oil-led development believe that countries lucky enough to have "black gold" can base their development on this resource.
Filming the Modern Middle East: Politics in the Cinemas of Hollywood and the Arab World
November 2006
This book examines the cinematic depictions of major political issues, from the Arab-Israeli conflict to the Gulf War, to Islamic fundamentalism, looking at films made in the US, in Egypt, Tunisia...
Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence
October 2006
Some rebel groups abuse noncombatant populations, while others exhibit restraint.
What to Do in Iraq: A Roundtable
July 2006
In his trenchant analysis, Stephen Biddle ("Seeing Baghdad, Thinking Saigon," March/April 2006) argues that the escalating violence in Iraq is not a nationalist insurgency, as was the Vietnam War,...
What Went Wrong and Right in Iraq
December 2005
Bestselling author Francis Fukuyama brings together esteemed academics, political analysts, and practitioners to reflect on the U.S.
Resources and the Information Problem in Rebel Recruitment
August 2005
How does the resource base of a rebel group impact its membership, structure, and behavior?
Addressing State Failure
July 2005
In today's increasingly interconnected world, weak and failed states pose an acute risk to U.S. and global security.
People
Carlos Schmidt-Padilla Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford Impact Labs (SIL), affiliated with PovGov at CDDRL 
