The Informal Regulation of Criminal Markets in Latin America

'When and how do illicit markets come to be jointly governed by states and organized crime? Hernán Flom unpacks how relations between politicians, police, and criminals generate informal regulatory arrangements that shape state and criminal violence associated with drug markets in Latin America. Insightful theorization and rich empirics make this book an important contribution to the growing research on the politics of crime.' Eduardo Moncada, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Barnard College, Columbia University and author of Resisting Extortion: Victims, Criminals, and States in Latin America (Cambridge University Press, 2021)

'This path-breaking book explains how politics in weakly institutionalized democracies shape the ways in which state authorities and the police informally regulate illicit drug markets. Theoretically insightful and empirically rich, Flom's study of four metropolitan areas in Argentina and Brazil masterfully weaves the voices of hundreds of cops and politicians into a cogent explanation of the different uses of violence and corruption to govern illicit markets in the Global South. The book is essential reading for students of governance, regulation, illicit economies, crime, and the police.' Guillermo Trejo, Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame

'Hernán Flom studies rigorously the relationship between elected politicians and police to explain diverse informal regulatory regimes of drug markets in Argentina and Brazil. This book contributes to theorizing the multiple, and often unexpected, ways in which states interact with drug markets, not only repressing them or enforcing the law, but also tolerating, preying upon, or protecting them. His focus on the police as a pivotal actor expands our knowledge of the intricate dynamics that connect states and criminal markets. The book is an important addition to the literature on criminal violence, drug markets, and policing.' Angélica Durán-Martínez, Associate Professor of Political Science, Director of Global Studies Ph.D. Program, The University of Massachusetts Lowell