Mano Dura in times of Democratic Backsliding.

• In Event: Crime, Violence and Democracy in Latin America

Brief Overview

This paper argues that Mano Dura policies are more effective in autocratizing contexts, where prior pacts with gangs and reduced constraints enable extra-legal violence, weaken gangs, and expand executive power, as shown in Venezuela and El Salvador.

Author

• Guillermo Sardi, Graduate Center, CUNY