I joined Princeton University as an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Fall of 2018. I am an affiliate at CESifo Research Network, the African School of Economics and the International Crisis Group. CV

E-mail: msviatschi@princeton.edu

My research interests are labor and development economics, with a focus on human capital, gender-violence and crime. One strand of my research explores how children start a criminal career in drug trafficking and gangs as well as the consequences of organized crime on economic development and state capacity. In particular, I have work on the development of criminal skills in drug trafficking organizations in Peru and gangs in El Salvador. In addition, I study how criminal organizations such as gangs and drug trafficking groups affect household’s 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 state capacity to deter and improve service-delivery to reduce gender-based violence. In particular, I am studying the effects of women police officers in Peru and police street patrolling in India. In addition to this research, I have ongoing collaborative research projects in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Mozambique, Jordan, Bangladesh and the US.