Jessie Trudeau

• 2024 Fall
  • PSC 693 Introduction to Quantitative Political Analysis
• 2024 Spring
  • PSC 300 Fighting Crime in Latin America
• 2023 Fall
  • PSC 200 Crime and Violence
  • PSC 300 Politics of Geography

Jessie Trudeau, assistant professor of political science, will teach classes in comparative politics, including the politics of crime and violence, politics of geography, Brazilian politics and research methods. Previously, Trudeau was a postdoctoral fellow with Brown University’s Program for Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Trudeau’s research focuses on organized crime and policing, primarily in Brazil. She is currently revising her book manuscript, “Machine Gun Politics: Why Politicians Cooperate with Criminal Groups,” which explains why local candidates collude electorally with criminal organizations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her peer-reviewed articles have appeared in World Development and EconomiA.

Honors include the 2023 American Political Science Association (APSA) Urban and Local Politics Section’s Best Dissertation Award and the 2022 APSA Pi Sigma Alpha Best Paper Award. Her graduate research was supported by various organizations, including a grant from the Corporación Andino de Fomiento.

Trudeau earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2022.

"2024 GLD Fellowship", Sponsored by Governance and Local Development Institute.

"Research into Public Security Perceptions in Brazil", Sponsored by Meta Platforms, Inc.

"Motives for entering the police force in Brazil", Sponsored by Appleby-Moser Fund.

"Exploring impact and response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean using mobility data", Sponsored by UNDP .

"Corruption and Prevention Policies in Latin America", Sponsored by Corporación Andino de Fomiento (CAF).

• Journal Articles
  • Trudeau, J., "Limiting Aggressive Policing Can Reduce Police and Civilian Violence." World Development, 2022.
  • Trudeau, J., Pellegrino, A. P., "How do Covid-19 Stay-at-Home Restrictions Affect Crime? Evidence from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil." EconomiA, 2022.
• Book Chapter
  • Trudeau, J., Stephenson, M., "How Should Lava Jato End?." In Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America. Lagunes, P., Svejnar, J. (eds.) Routledge, 2020.
• Book Review
  • Trudeau, J., "Policing or perpetuating violence? State-sanctioned milícias and police in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil." Criminological Encounters, 2021.
• Policy & Commentaries
  • Pellegrino, A. P., Trudeau, J., "Lições Pandémicas para Politicas de Segurança Publica Efetivas." Nexo Poltticas Publicas, 2022.
  • Trudeau, J., "Brazilian police killed 27 people in a single raid this month. That doesn’t make Rio de Janeiro safe." The Monkey Cage, 2021.

Boston University Comparative Politics Workshop, Boston University Political Science Department, "Criminal Capital, Voter Mobilization, and Suppression" (2023)

Empirical Studies of Conflict (ESOC) Latin America Workshop , ESOC, "Criminal Capital, Voter Mobilization, and Suppression" (2023)

Extra-legal Governance in Comparative Perspective Conference, Brown University, "Criminal Capital, Voter Mobilization, and Suppression" (2023)

Red para el Estudio de la Economía Política de América Latina (REPAL) Annual Meeting, REPAL, "Criminal Capital, Voter Mobilization, and Suppression" (2023)

UPenn Crime and Policing in Comparative Perspective, PDRI-DevLab, "Criminal Capital, Voter Mobilization, and Suppression" (2023)

SPSA Annual Meeting, Southern Political Science Association, "How Criminal Governance Undermines Elections" (2023)

APSA 2023 Annual Meeting, American Political Science Association (APSA), "Strategic Cartography: How Map-Making Enables or Obstructs Social Inclusion" (2023)

CLEAN Workshop at Bocconi University, Università Bocconi, "How Criminal Governance Undermines Elections" (2022)

Best Dissertation in the study of Urban Politics, Urban Politics Section, American Political Science Association (2023)

Juan Linz Prize for the Best Dissertation in the Comparative Study of Democracy (Runner Up), Democracy and Autocracy Section, American Political Science Association (2023)

Conflict Processes Section Best Paper Award, American Political Science Association (2022)

Elinor and Vincent Ostrom Prize for Best Graduate Student Paper and Presentation, Public Choice Society (2022)

Franklin L. Burdette Pi Sigma Alpha Best Conference Paper Award, American Political Science Association (2022)

Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Derek Bok Center, Harvard University (2021)

Subnational Politics & Society Section Best Paper Award, Latin American Studies Association (2020)

Dissertation Writing Fellowship, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (2019)

Traveling Fellowship, Jorge Paulo Lemann Foundation, Harvard University (2018 - 2019)