Allan Gillies

Dr Allan Gillies is a Lecturer in Political & International Studies at the University of Glasgow. He specialises in the political economies of illicit commodities in Latin America, focusing on drug violence, state development, and socio-environmental conflicts. His research examines US-Latin American relations, with extensive fieldwork in Bolivia and Colombia using oral histories and archival methods. He collaborates with organizations like Christian Aid and GIZ on integrating Sustainable Development Goals into drug policy.

His research interests include state-narco relations, democratic transitions, and the socio-environmental impacts of illicit economies. He has published widely on Bolivia’s political history, the War on Drugs, and grassroots responses to crises like the 2020 pandemic in Colombia’s Chocó region.

Gillies leads research grants such as 'Democratising Data: Community-led Monitoring in Chocó' (ESRC, 2024) and has co-authored projects on pandemic response (Scottish Government, 2020). He supervises PhD students exploring topics like indigenous resistance to extractivism and Cuban guerrilla culture.

He is a research associate at the Global Drug Policy Observatory, the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, and the Andean Information Network. His work bridges academic research with policy advocacy through participatory methods and transnational collaboration.