Criminal Governance in Brazil Benjamin Lessing

In this episode, Professor Benjamin Lessing unpacks the dynamics of organized crime and informal governance in Brazil. He discusses how extra-legal organizations operate as alternative authority structures—stepping into the vacuum left by weak state presence. Traditional law enforcement often fails to dismantle them, requiring innovations in policymaking aimed at reducing violence in the country. Lessing highlights what works—and what doesn’t—when the state seeks to reassert its authority. Professor Benjamin Lessing is a political scientist at the University of Chicago, specializing in criminal governance, state capacity, and Brazilian politics. This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at . Podcast Production Credits: Interviewing: Isabella Nascimento, Fernanda Garcia, Gil do Vigor Editing: Megha Viswanath Production: Isabella Nascimento

You can listen to Criminal Governance in Brazil Benjamin Lessing online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Criminal Governance in Brazil Benjamin Lessing is an episode from Root of Conflict by UC3P.

This episode is 60:53 long.

This episode was published on Jun 12, 2025.

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