Abby Córdova

Abby Córdova is an Associate Professor of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs. She is also a faculty fellow of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and a research affiliate of the Notre Dame Violence and Transitional Justice Lab (V-TJ). Currently on leave for the 2024-25 academic year, she teaches courses including Global Affairs Capstone Seminar, Criminal Governance, Democracy & Policies, and Survey Research Methodology for Global Affairs.

Dr. Córdova's research examines the consequences of inequality and marginalization for democracy, with a focus on crime and violence, gender inequality, economic inequality, and international migration in Latin America and the Caribbean. Her work seeks to identify public policies that can improve the well-being of disadvantaged citizens and advance democratic consolidation globally. As an expert in survey research methodology, she extensively uses public opinion and elite survey data in her research.

Her recent publications analyze how criminal governance makes women more vulnerable to gender-based violence and its consequences for women's political engagement. Her research has been published in top political science journals including the Journal of Politics and Comparative Political Studies. She has received numerous awards including the 2022 Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar award for her research on violence against women in El Salvador.

• Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar (2022)
• Southern Political Science Association Marian Irish Award (2020)
• College of Arts & Science Diversity and Inclusion Award, University of Kentucky (2018-2019)
• Midwest Political Science Association Sophonisba Breckinridge Award (2017)
• Fulbright Scholarship

Dr. Córdova has served as principal investigator for USAID-funded projects, including one that developed a methodology to measure community resilience in contexts of high crime. She also worked as a consultant for the World Bank's Poverty and Gender section for Latin America and the Caribbean. At Notre Dame, she is a member of the Keough School's Racial Justice Committee and the Global Policy Initiative.

As co-principal investigator of the Notre Dame Violence and Transitional Justice Lab, she leads research on the causes and consequences of violence in Latin America, with particular focus on gender-based violence. Her work bridges academic research with policy implementation, particularly examining how women's police stations affect attitudes toward gender-based violence and police legitimacy.