ABSTRACT
Corruption and organized crime are no strangers to Latin America, but their forms, dimensions, and impacts are undergoing significant changes. This chapter explores these themes in three parts: (1) a review of what is known about regional developments; (2) an overview of research trends; and (3) some speculations about impacts on legality and justice. It focuses on four countries – Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico – chosen for their varying situations and the amount of information they have generated. Since the mid-1990s, literature on drug trafficking and gangs has burgeoned. Writings on corruption are less prolific although recent scandals in Brazil, Guatemala, and Mexico may spur interest. Because research on these topics is dangerous, most authors rely on information from governments (crime statistics, investigations, and informant interviews), media reports, and cross-national surveys. Ethnographic studies (especially on youth gangs and communities infiltrated by criminal groups) have become less common. Recent literature is highly descriptive, does little hypothesis-testing or theory-building, comes from journalists and nongovernmental organization staff as well as university-based academics, and has few links to extra-regional work. The implications for citizen engagement with governance and justice institutions are understudied, representing an area where Latin American researchers could take a lead.
