About
Charli McMackin is a fully funded PhD candidate in International Relations at LSE. Her research asks why enforced disappearances in Mexico are concentrated in some states and not others, and how collusion between criminal organisations and the state determines whether violence is hidden or visible.
She also works with Professor Leigh Payne at the University of Oxford on a research project examining sexual violence in armed conflict, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Latin America Bureau. Her analysis of Latin American affairs has appeared in Folha de S.Paulo, El Espectador and Tal Cual. She holds two master’s degrees from Oxford: Modern Languages and Latin American Studies.
Research topic
Beyond Killing: Subnational Dynamics of Disappearances in Mexico
Since the government declared war on drug cartels in 2006, the number of people disappeared in Mexico has risen to more than 130,000. Charli's research examines why disappearances are concentrated in some states and not others, even where levels of homicide are comparable.
Charli argues that disappearance rates vary with the interaction of three conditions. The first is criminal governance configurations, particularly collusive protection arrangements between criminal organisations and state actors. The second is institutional forbearance, meaning the deliberate non-enforcement of law rather than a lack of state capacity. The third is the strategic value of territory, including mining, export agriculture and transport corridors. Together, these conditions shape whether violence takes visible forms, such as homicide, or hidden forms, such as disappearance.
Methodologically, the project uses a nested mixed-methods design. It combines a state–year panel analysis with process tracing and fieldwork in selected Mexican states.