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Luis Martinez

Assistant Professor

Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago

Luis Martinez is a Pearson Faculty Affiliate and Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. His main research interest is in the analysis of political institutions in developing countries, with a regional focus on Latin America. Some of his work is centered around authoritarian regimes, trying to detect manipulation of information and examining the consequences of exposure to state repression. In other work, he has studied the functioning of democracy in settings with weak institutions, analyzing factors that affect electoral participation and government performance. A third line of research focuses on civil conflict, studying the impact of cross-border safe havens on insurgent violence and the effect of peace on agricultural investment. His work has been published or is forthcoming in general interest journals in economics and political science.      .

Martinez holds a BA in economics and philosophy (summa cum laude) from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia and an MRes (with distinction) and PhD in economics from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom.

Baidoa, Somalia

Makeshift, temporary shelter made of plastic and clothing at a refugee center in Baidoa, Somalia.