Teaching
U.S.-Mexico politics
Offered: Summer 2018-2024
Title: Instructor. Harvard Summer School.
Summary: Mexico is one of the most important political and strategic allies of the US. The histories of both nations are deeply intertwined, and their relationship exhibits a unique combination of characteristics unseen in other neighbor states. In this course students discover the fascinating complexities of the US-Mexico relationship across five policy areas: trade, migration, security, energy, and public health. Among other topics, we examine the true extent of the commercial partnership between the two countries, how Mexican drug cartels operate and their complex linkages to the US opioid epidemic, and myths and facts surrounding Mexican and Central American migration. We also discuss how deepened US-Mexico cooperation could address many policy challenges, from climate crisis to affordable health care. By the end of the summer, students develop a sharp understanding of the challenges facing the US-Mexico relationship and a variety of possible strategies to address them.
Syllabus
Introduction to public policy
Offered: Verano 2018-2021
Title: Instructor. Harvard Summer School; Visiting Assistant Professor. Purdue University.
Summary: With political polarization quickly becoming the defining issue of our time, there is a pressing need to develop a more precise understanding of the actions of government and the intentions that determine such actions. In this class, we will develop an in-depth understanding of what public policy is and why we sometimes justify government involvement in solving social problems. We will learn to identify the characteristics of effective and ineffective policies by examining the conditions under which government actions may stifle intergenerational mobility equal opportunity and better social and economic outcomes. We will also examine the environments in which poorly designed public policies may create unexpected consequences and negative outcomes, such as exclusion or political capture. This course will explore many of the paradoxes inherent in public policy research by focusing on the highly controversial topics that animate today's most meaningful public debates, such as gun ownership, homelessness, education, health care, and welfare policies.
Corruption
Offered: Fall 2019
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor. Harvard University, Department of Government.
Summary: The peculiar and enigmatic relationship between corruption and politics is poorly understood and commonly distorted by ideological rhetoric. This seminar explores the many unusual paradoxes of corruption and its effect on economic and social variables. Our aim is to understand the characteristics of different forms of corruption, the sweeping anti-corruption efforts that are gaining steam worldwide, and the often questionable political motives behind them. We will also investigate many paradoxes of corruption and the economy such as how China has grown rapidly while ranking among the most corrupt countries, and why Latin America is the only region where corruption seems to reduce inequality. Overall, we aim to show a precise picture of when and how corruption thrives, and how to properly combat it.
Mexican politics
Offered: Spring 2019
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor. Harvard University, Department of Government.
Summary: Mexico's history features a unique combination of characteristics unseen in the rest of the world. It experienced a prolonged and violent revolutionary war, constructed one of the world's longest-lasting authoritarian regimes, and yet consolidated a democratic political system that's vulnerable to populist appeals. Most countries during the past century had only one or two of these features, but not all three. This course will explore Mexico's idiosyncratic political identity and the distinctive challenges that come with it. We will come to understand why drug-related violence has spiraled out of control over the last decade, the role U.S.-Mexico trade agreements play in creating a widening economic gap between north and south, and how crony capitalism has survived the consolidation of a democratic Mexico. Our primary goal is to discover the country in all its complexities by debunking the cartoonish stereotypes of one of the U.S.'s most important political, economic, and strategic allies.
Corruption in Latin America
Offered: Spring 2019
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor. Harvard University, Department of Government.
Summary: The standard image of corruption entails wealthy elites in poor countries easily breaking weak laws to increase their wealth. Yet, according to empirical evidence, Latin America defies that common trend because it is the only region in the world in which corruption tends to reduce income inequality rather than increase it. This seminar explores the many unusual paradoxes of corruption in Latin America and its effect on economic and social variables. Our goal is to understand the peculiar and enigmatic dance that exists between corruption and politics, a topic that is poorly understood and commonly distorted by ideological rhetoric. We will identify the different forms of corruption that exist, the sweeping anti-corruption efforts that are gaining steam in the region, and the often-questionable political motives behind them. We will examine the conditions under which corruption sti es economic growth, efficiency, and investment; but also, the environments in which corruption effectively substitutes for inadequate or missing laws to grease the wheels for investment. Overall, we aim to show a precise picture of when and how corruption thrives, and how to properly combat it.
Advanced quantitative methods for social sciences
Offered: Fall 2017-2018
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor. Purdue University.
Summary: The goal of this course is to equip students with the tools, and thus the responsibility, to conduct accountable quantitative social science. Students will learn advanced data analysis skills to implement and replicate methods that are now considered basic staples of quantitative science. Specifically, we will study statistical learning techniques like linear regression, classification, sampling, subset selection, and unsupervised learning. By the end of this course, students will be empowered to conduct better, faster, and more efficient quantitative research, and to replicate or evaluate the research conducted by others.
Corruption and inequality
Offered: Summer 2017
Title: Instructor. Harvard Summer School.
Summary: Corruption and inequality share a peculiar and enigmatic dance that is poorly understood and distorted by ideological rhetoric. But with inequality quickly becoming the defining issue of our time, and sweeping anti-corruption efforts gaining steam in developing countries (often with questionable political motives, as recently witnessed in Brazil), there is a pressing need to develop a more precise picture of when and how these forces interact. In this class, we’ll answer why corruption sometimes exacerbates inequality, and sometimes it does not. We’ll examine the conditions under which corruption stifles economic growth, efficiency, and investment; but also the environments in which corruption effectively substitutes for misguided or missing law to “grease the wheels” for investment. We’ll compare two different theories that propose “vicious cycle” relationships between corruption and inequality: the “inequality trap” (where inequality creates a lack of trust in institutions, enabling corruption that deepens inequality), and the “fairness perception” theory where if people believe there is already rampant corruption, they behave more corruptly. We’ll investigate many peculiar paradoxes of these themes—such as how China has grown rapidly while ranking among the most corrupt countries, and why Latin America is the only region where corruption reduces inequality.
Opportunities and challenges for Mexico’s future
Offered: Winter 2013-2014
Title: Instructor. Harvard Executive Education Program.
Math “pre-fresher” for political scientists
Offered: Summer 2010
Title: Instructor. Harvard University, Department of Government.
Summary: This course introduces basic mathematics and computer skills needed for quantitative and formal modeling courses offered at Harvard.
Comparative politics of Latin America
Offered: Spring 2010
Title: TA. Harvard University, Department of Government.
Quantitative analysis and empirical methods
Offered: Fall 2009
Title: TA. Harvard Kennedy School.
International political economy
Offered: Spring 2009
Title: TA. Harvard University, Department of Government.