Rio de Janeiro, Brazil & Washington D.C., USA
Ana Paula Pellegrino is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Government at Georgetown University. A Brazilian national, she holds a BA and an MA in International Relations and an MA in Data Science from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio).
She uses both quantitative and qualitative data and methods to study criminal and political violence, with a particular interest in Latin America. Her research agenda includes projects on state and non-state armed actors, including police and criminal groups; micro-dynamics of violence; as well as war outcomes. In addition to support from Georgetown University, her research is supported by Fundação Estudar’s Leaders program, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation’s Emerging Scholars program and the US Institute of Peace and Minerva Research Initiative’s Peace Scholar Fellowship program.
Outside of academia, Ana Paula has worked in Brazilian civil society organizations conducting research and advocacy, developing technology and spearheading philanthropic strategies in organizations such as the Igarapé Institute, ImpulsoGov and the República Institute. She also organizes the Violence, Instability and Peace Workshop, a feedback-focused virtual seminar series established in 2022.
This book-length dissertation project explores armed criminal group formation and interaction with police in Brazil. I conduct a cross-case comparison between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo from the 1980s to 2000s, tracing the emergence of armed criminal groups and police institutional development. I have conducted over 2 years of fieldwork, completing dozens of elite interviews, and collecting thousands of administrative records.
What happens when a police officer is killed? In this project, I analyze how police officers deaths in Rio de Janeiro impact police use of lethal violence in the following days. I find that police become more deadly, albeit not more active. Such effect is shaped by police officer schedules and local rememberance practices. [Working paper upon request] - Presented at APSA 2023 and ISA 2024 (Under Review)
(with Laia Balcells and Matthew Simonson) Can international armed conflicts exacerbate existing tensions in other regions? How do countries with a history of violence respond to armed conflicts in distant parts of the world? International wars that imply changes in international norms could increase fear of internal conflict resumption. We examine these questions with a survey experiment conducted in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia, where respondents were exposed to news headlines about either a) the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, b) the ongoing Israel-Gaza War, or c) a placebo. While the treatments affected respondents’ emotions, contrary to our pre-registered hypotheses, we find that exposure to news of these conflicts does not alter respondent’s expectations of future violence, nor does it significantly impact the salience of their various identities. Additionally, attitudes toward neighboring ethnic groups and policy preferences, as well as expectations of future violence, remained largely unchanged by either treatment. [Pre-analysis Plan] Presented at APSA 2024
(with Lesley-Ann Daniels and Laia Balcells) What makes the public see armed groups as acceptable partners for peace instead of targets of law enforcement or military action? We examine legitimacy as an important but underexplored factor in determining when the public accepts peace negotiations with an armed group and on what settlement terms. We unpack legitimacy into motivational, material and moral dimensions, which shape public perceptions through compliance with the social contract, institutional recognition, and ethical appraisal. A group’s legitimacy is informed by different characteristics and behaviors. We test this argument in a conjoint experiment embedded in a unique online survey of 2,100 respondents in Colombia. The findings will help inform public attitudes to negotiations with armed actors, which can help create a more accepted peace. [Pre-analysis Plan]. Presented at ISA 2024
Please find my CV here.
You may reach me at ap1631@georgetown.edu.