Expertise

Comparative politics; political behavior; Latin American politics

At the Keough School

Abby Córdova is an associate professor of global affairs in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. She also is a faculty fellow of the Keough School’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies and a research affiliate of the Kellogg Institute’s Notre Dame Violence and Transitional Justice Lab (V-TJ).

Courses

• Global Affairs Capstone Seminar (undergraduate global affairs course)
• Criminal Governance, Democracy & Policies (elective for master of global affairs)
• Survey Research Methodology for Global Affairs (foundational course for master of global affairs)
• International Development Studies Capstone Seminar

Research and Publications

Abby Córdova’s research examines the consequences of inequality and marginalization for democracy, integrating topics related to crime and violence, gender inequality, economic inequality, and international migration in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. Her research seeks to identify public policies that can improve the well-being of disadvantaged citizens and in this way advance democratic consolidation across the world.

As an expert on survey research methodology, Córdova’s work relies extensively on public opinion and elite survey data. Her current research includes a book project that explores how criminal governance makes women more vulnerable to gender-based violence and its consequences for women’s political engagement. Her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals.

Recent Work

• Córdova, Abby, and Helen Kras. Forthcoming. “State Action to Prevent Violence against Women: The Effect of Women’s Police Stations on Men’s Attitudes toward Gender-based Violence.” Journal of Politics.
• Córdova, Abby and Helen Kras. 2020. “Addressing Violence against Women: The Effect of Women’s Police Stations on Police Legitimacy.” Comparative Political Studies 53(5), 775–808.
• Córdova, Abby and Jonathan Hiskey. 2019. “Development Context and the Political Behavior of Remittance Recipients in Latin America and the Caribbean.” Political Behavior
• Córdova, Abby. 2019. “Living in Gang-Controlled Neighborhoods: Impacts on Electoral and Non-Electoral Participation in El Salvador.” Latin American Research Review 54(1), 201–221.

Biography

Córdova holds two master’s degrees and a PhD in political science from Vanderbilt University, where she held a postdoctoral position as the lead researcher of USAID’s Central America Regional Security Initiative impact evaluation by the Latin American Public Opinion Project. Prior to coming to Notre Dame, she was an associate professor at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Political Science. She has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank’s Poverty and Gender section for Latin America and the Caribbean. More recently, she served as the principal investigator of a project funded by USAID that developed a methodology to measure community resilience in contexts of high crime.

Recognitions and Awards

• Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar (2022)
• Southern Political Science Association Marian Irish Award (2020)
• College of Arts & Science Diversity and Inclusion Award, University of Kentucky (2018-2019)
• Midwest Political Science Association Sophonisba Breckinridge Award, Best Paper on Women and Politics (2017)
• Fulbright Scholarship

Professional Roles/Positions

• Associate editor for politics and international relations, Latin American Research Review (present)
• Director, Women in Political Science and Diversity and Inclusivity Initiatives, University of Kentucky
• Central American Visiting Scholar, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University (2016-2017)

News

• Keough School joins forces with UN Women to address gender-based violence in El Salvador and beyond
• Abby Córdova named Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar
• The rise of populism: Notre Dame experts analyze the worldwide decline of democracy
• Scholarship shaped by civil war