معرفی
Gustavo A. Flores-Macías is a Professor of Government in the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Public Policy at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University. He serves as Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives at the Brooks School and has previously held leadership roles including Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (interim), Cornell's Associate Vice Provost for International Affairs, and Director of Cornell's Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program.
His research and teaching interests span political and economic development in Latin America, with particular emphasis on democracy, inequality, and policing. His three primary research areas include: 1) the militarization of law enforcement, 2) elites' attitudes toward inequality, and 3) taxation and state capacity. His work combines theoretical insights with empirical analysis of Latin American politics, particularly focusing on Mexico, Colombia, and other regional cases.
His scholarly output reveals a consistent focus on state-building challenges in developing countries, particularly around security provision and fiscal capacity. The articles demonstrate methodological diversity, employing comparative case studies, experimental designs, and quantitative analysis to examine how governments address security challenges and build tax capacity. His work consistently bridges theoretical debates in political science with practical policy implications for governance in the developing world.
His notable scientific achievements include:
- Latin American Studies Association Tomassini Award in 2014 for "After Neoliberalism? The Left and Economic Reforms in Latin America"
As an academic leader, Flores-Macías has guided institutional initiatives related to international affairs and Latin American studies. His research has been supported by various grants that enable fieldwork and data collection in Latin America, particularly focused on understanding citizen-state relations around security and taxation. He has supervised numerous graduate students in political science and public policy, mentoring the next generation of scholars working on Latin American politics and development issues.
His work connects with broader university initiatives through Cornell's Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, which he formerly directed, and through interdisciplinary collaborations examining governance challenges in the developing world. His recent book "Contemporary State Building: Elite Taxation and Public Safety in Latin America" (Cambridge University Press, 2022) synthesizes much of his research on state capacity building.
