PhD in Politics by Princeton University (graduated in September 2023). I am currently working as a Research and Policy Manager at J-PAL / Paris School of Economics, where I lead the European Social Inclusion Initiative.

My research fields are comparative politics, quantitative methods, and behavioral and experimental methods for political science.

My research interests lie in political economy, at the intersection of development and conflict. In particular, I focus on understanding the long-run consequences of criminal governance, territorial control, and how governments can manage and mitigate these. I have a regional expertise in Latin America.

My dissertation work answers two questions. First, what are the consequences of living in a territory where there is a duopoly of power between the state and gangs on youth’s human capital accumulation. I look at two different dimensions: gang territorial control and gang violence. To answer these questions, I leverage large N administrative data, in depth case knowledge, and use quasi-experimental techniques. Second, who joins a gang and why? To shed light on this question I gather novel data on approximately 10,000 youth of Medellín that I use to estimate a structural model of youth’s life-paths. My current research focuses on designing and evaluating policy options to reduce gang recruitment.

In terms of methodology, my research combines qualitative and quantitative methods. On the quantitative side, it includes quasi-experimental evaluations using large admin data, structural modeling, and the design and evaluation via randomized control trials (RCTs) of public policy. On the qualitative side, I have experience conducting semi-structured interviews with imprisoned population as well as community members living in areas with gang presence.

I am a Research fellow at Future Policy Lab, a Researcher with Innovations for Poverty Action, and a member of Research on Policing Reform and Accountability (RoPRA).

You can contact me via email – ma.rodriguez.uribe (at) gmail.com or via Bluesky.