Enrique Escalante

Associate Professor of Economics · Angelo State University

The political economy of violence and development.

Development economics · Political conflict & regimes · Applied econometrics

Research themes

Contested Authority & violence

How communities respond to insurgency and crime when the state is weak or absent? Self-defense networks, insurgent legitimacy, and informal order, drawing on Peru’s 1980–2000 conflict.

Political institutions & growth

Whether authoritarian rule actually delivers economic gains, reassessing Chile’s “miracle” under Pinochet and the democratic transition.

Development economics

How formal and informal institutions shape state capacity, fiscal capacity, and long-run development in low- and middle-income countries.

Recent interviews & media

Is your job safe from AI? A record number of workers aren’t sure EN
Washington Times · 2026

Entrevista en Valor Agregado ES
Canal B · 2026

America’s K-Shaped Economy EN
The Talk Diaries with Tanya Beckett · 2026

Entrevista en Valor Agregado ES
Canal B · 2025

Upsides and Risks of Increasing State Capacity EN
Cato Daily Podcast · 2024

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