I am an Assistant Professor of Economics at Princeton University since Fall of 2018. I am an affiliate at CESifo Research Network, NBER Development and Political Economy groups, BREAD, the African School of Economics, AMIE, ESOC, and the International Crisis Group.
E-mail: msviatschi@princeton.edu
One strand of my research explores how children start a criminal career in drug trafficking and gangs, and the consequences of organized crime on economic development and state capacity. In particular, I have research on the development of criminal skills in drug trafficking organizations in Peru and gangs in El Salvador and the role of migration and deportation policies. In addition, I study how criminal organizations affect households’ behavior and state presence in the areas they control. I am also working with governments to design and evaluate public policies in narcotraffic and gang-controlled areas analyzing large administrative datasets.
Another strand of my research studies the role of norms and policing in reducing gender-based violence through various randomized control trials. In particular, I am studying the effects of women police officers in Peru, police street patrolling targeting street sexual harassment in Hyderabad, and gender-violence education in Mozambique. In addition to this research, I have ongoing collaborative research projects in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Bihar, Bangladesh and the US.