Gemma Dipoppa

I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Brown University. My research examines contemporary challenges to states' capacity, focusing on organized crime, migration, and environmental degradation.

My papers and book project study the expansion of criminal organizations into strong states and its impact on politics, while also evaluating the efficacy of policies aimed at combating criminal governance. I propose the argument that criminal expansion often relies on the exploitation of migrant labor. My research studies illegal migrant labor exploitation, identifying the determinants of this phenomenon and the interventions that can help migrants exit from oppressive working regimes.

Another crucial challenge states face is the management of illegal pollution and environmental degradation. I focus on the measures that states undertake to manage violations of environmental laws and the obstacles that hinder their ability to effectively target polluters.

My work has been published or is forthcoming in Nature, American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Law, Economics, and Organizations, Journal of Industry, Competition, and Trade. Before joining Brown, I received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and I completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University.