Currently pursuing four projects: 1) The co-existence of public vs. private security forces and their impact on quality of urban life and the rule of law. Main countries of interest are Mexico, South Africa and Russia, but is beginning a parallel focus on several U.S. cities; 2) Relations between globalization, urban politics, and the built environment (with a special interest in downtown development and historic preservation); 3) The history and politics of policing in twentieth-century Mexico; and 4) City and countryside in the history and politics of development in Latin America (Mexico, Argentina) and East Asia (South Korea, Taiwan).