Andrea Castagnola​
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Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT), Centre on Law and Social Transformation (CMI-Norway) & Consultant on justice, rule of law, gender and transparency for the World Bank, IADB, and UNDP. Specialist in data science.
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Short Bio​
Andrea Castagnola has a Ph.D. in Political Science (2010) from the University of Pittsburgh and a Post-Doctorate in Quantitative Methods from the University of Bergen (2017), Norway. She is an adjunct professor of the Department of Political Science and International Relations and Law School at the University of Torcuato Di Tella, affiliated research at LawTransform (CMI-Norway) and an external consultant for the World Bank, IADB and PNUD.
She is an expert in the areas of transparency, justice, institutions, accountability, gender, and fighting corruption. Her background in econometrics has enabled her to combine quantitative research with qualitative research in her areas of expertise. Her research has been published by Routledge, Cambridge University Press, and specialized international academic journals, such as the British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Journal of Politics in Latin America, and Política y Gobierno.
EDUCATION
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Ph.D. Political Science, University of Pittsburgh (USA) 2010.
Won an Honorable Mention from Lozano Memorial Dissertation Prize
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M.A. Political Science, University of Pittsburgh (USA) 2006.
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M.A. Development Management and Public Policy, Georgetown University (USA) 2004.
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B.A. International Studies, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (Argentina) 2001.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2017 to present
Argentina
University Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires
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POST-DOC POLITICAL SCIENCE
Universidad Nacional de San Martin, Buenos Aires (2017-2018)
2014 to present
Norway
AFFILIATED RESEARCHER AND STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER
Centre on Law & Social Transformation, UiB-CMI
POST-DOC QUANTITATIVE METHODS
University of Bergen, Department of Comparative Politics (2014-2017).
2010-2014
Mexico
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Flacso).
PUBLICATIONS
Peer-reviewed journal publications
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Castagnola, A. 2020. “La Trampa de la Manipulación Judicial: Un análisis histórico del control político de la Corte Suprema Argentina”. Revista Uruguaya de Ciencia Política 29 (1): 49-80.
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Pérez-Liñán, A. and Castagnola, A. 2016. “Judicial Instability and Endogenous Constitutional Change: Lessons from Latin America”. British Journal of Political Science 46 (2): 395-416.
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Castagnola, A. 2012. “I Want It All, and I Want It Now: The Political Manipulation of Argentina’s Provincial High Courts” Journal of Politics in Latin America 4 (2): 39-62.
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Lara Borges, Oswald, Castagnola, A. and Pérez Liñán, A. 2012. "Diseño constitucional y estabilidad judicial en América Latina, 1900-2009." (Constitutional design and judicial stability in Latin America). Política y Gobierno XIX (1): 3-40.
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Castagnola, A. 2010. "La diversidad institucional de los Poderes Judiciales provinciales en Argentina desde una perspectiva histórica." (A historical perspective of the institutional diversity of provincial judiciaries in Argentina) POSTData 15 (2): 161-89.
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Morgenstern, S., Swindle, S.M. and Castagnola, A. 2009. “Party Nationalization and Institutions” The Journal of Politics 71(4): 1322-1341.
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Pérez Liñán, A. and Castagnola A. 2009 “Presidential Control of High Courts in Latin America: A Long Term View (1904-2006)” Journal of Politics in Latin America 1 (2): 87-114.
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Castagnola, A. 2006. “Political Scandals and the Dynamics of Politics in Latin America” MACLAS – Latin American Essays Vol. XIX.
Books and Edited Volumes
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[Spanish translated version in 2016]
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Castagnola A.. 2010. Estudio Comparado de las Constituciones y Marco Normativo de las Cortes Supremas Provinciales de Argentina: 1983-2008. (Comparative study of Argentine provincial Constitutions and norms that regulate Argentine Provincial Supreme Courts: 1983-2008) Buenos Aires: Asociación por los Derechos Civiles.
Book Chapters
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Pérez-Liñán, A. and Castagnola, A. (forthcoming) "Judicial Tenure and Retirements" In The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Judicial Behaviour, Lee Epstein, Gunnar Grendstad, Urška Šadl, & Keren Weinshall, editors. Oxford University Press.
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Castagnola, A. and Ezequiel Gonzalez-Ocantos (forthcoming) "Argentina’s “Judicial Family:” Mapping Family Connections in the Argentine Provincial Federal Judiciary” In Informality and Courts, Sanchez-Urribarri Raul, Bjoern Dressel and Alex Stroh (under review).
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Castagnola, A., Anibal Perez Liñán and Gabriela Bonzi (forthcoming) "Judicial Activism: a reactive form of compensatory justice in Paraguay " In Between Judicial Activism and Restraint: Comparative Perspectives, Lori Hausegger and Raul Sanchez Urribarri (eds.). (Currently under review with Peter Lang Publishing).
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Castagnola, A.; Sergio Muro and Alejandro Chethman (forthcoming) "The Supreme Court of Argentina " Johanna Frohlich (ed) Constitutional Reasoning. Blumsburry. NY
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Pérez-Liñán, A. and Castagnola, A. 2021. “¿Activismo inocuo? La Justicia Constitucional en la era democrática” in Tres décadas de democratización en Paraguay: actores, instituciones y Sociedad, ed. Cerna Villagra, S. and Villalba S. Asunción: Centro de Estudios Antropológicos de la Universidad Católica.
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Castagnola A. and López Noriega, S. 2016. “Are Mexican Justices True Arbitrers Among Political Elites? An Empirical Analysis of the Court´s rulings from 2000-2011” In Judicial Politics in Mexico: The Supreme Court and the Transition to Democracy, ed. A. Castagnola and S. López Noriega. Routledge: New York
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[Spanish translated version in 2016]
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Castagnola A. and López Noriega, S. 2016. “The Supreme Court and the (no) Rights Revolution. An Empirical Analysis of the Court´s rulings from 2000-2011” In Judicial Politics in Mexico: The Supreme Court and the Transition to Democracy, ed. A. Castagnola and S. López Noriega. Routledge: New York
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[Spanish translated version in 2016]
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Valderrama, C. and Castagnola, A. 2015. “Cortes Activas en la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos: evolución de la política sobre los desplazados en Colombia.” In Los Derechos Humanos y la violencia: Estado, instituciones y sociedad civil, eds. K. Ansolabehere, S. Serrano y L.D. Vazquez. Universidad de Los Andres: Colombia.
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Castagnola A. and Pérez Liñán, A. 2011."Bolivia: The Rise (an Fall) of Judicial Review." In Courts in Latin America, ed. G. Helmke and J. Rios-Figueroa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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[Spanish translated version in 2011]
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Castagnola A. 2003. “Participatory Monitoring of Land and Housing Policy in the Municipality of Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Community Council on Land and Housing Policy” In Voice, Eyes and Ears. Social Accountability in Latin America. Case Studies on Mechanisms of Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (69-78) Latin America and the Caribbean Region World Bank: Washington DC.
CURRENT RESEARCH
Gender, politics and courts
The main objective of this study is to analyze what effect had the regulatory framework and gender judicial institutions to promote and guarantee the numerical incorporation of women within the Judicial Powers of the countries in the region. https://www.kas.de/documents/271408/16552318/Castagnola+%28Diagramado%29.pdf/c3e972db-a7ec-ef5d-4f7e-f0ccc56cfca7?t=1687897889074
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The rule of law and judicial manipulation in Latin America
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I am currently working with Aníbal Pérez-Liñán on a book manuscript that aims to provide a comprehensive understanding to the factors that affect the stability of the Supreme Court justices in Latin America. The manuscript contains specific chapters on the political and institutional factors that affect the stability of judges on the bench and case studies. The manuscript uses an original dataset that contains information from all the Supreme and Constitutional Courts in the region since 1950's until nowadays.
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Argentina’s “Judicial Family:” Mapping Family Connections in the Argentine Provincial Federal Judiciary
This is a collaborative research project with Ezequiel Gonzalez-Ocantos (Oxford University) in which we use novel data to map networks of nepotism in Argentina federal judiciary. In Argentina federal judges are thought to rely on informal bargains with colleagues to promote their relatives, thus reproducing the judiciary’s opaqueness, corporate character and lack of pluralism. Based on a massive data collection effort that identifies family connections between the personnel of all 19 jurisdictions of the federal judicial branch, we estimate the extent to which high court judges and high-ranking clerks engage in nepotism and identify the types of appointments most often subject to nepotism. The novel dataset also allows us to explore other aspects of family networks, including territorial dynamics of nepotism and gender dynamics.
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Judicial Independence and constitutional justice in Paraguay
I am currently working with Notre Dame University and Instituto Desarrollo (Paraguay) on a 4 year-research grant to strengthen the rule of law and judicial independence in Paraguay. Within this project, I am coordinating several research projects, currently working on gender based Supreme Court rulings. The project is financed by USAID.
For more information please visit: https://desarrollo.edu.py/rolci/
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CONSULTING PUBLICATIONS (WB, PNUD, IADB)
Recent
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Castagnola Andrea (2023) KAS "Mujeres, Poder y Justicia" (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
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Castagnola Andrea (2021) PNUD "Justicia abierta en tiempos de COVID-19. Un modelo para armar en base a las experiencias del Juzgado Penal, Contravencional y Faltas No. 10 de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires" (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Castagnola Andrea (2020) The use of Big Data for improving public policy in Latin America. Inter-American Development Bank: Washington DC. (in charge of the blogs of a 4 year cooperation in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay.)
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Improving Judicial Performance in Argentina through Evidence-Based Reform Initiatives. 2018. World Bank: Washington DC. (internal use only)
TEACHING
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CORE POLTICAL SCIENCE COURSES
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Judicial politics (PhD, MA and BA levels). Flacso-Mexico (from 2011 to 2013) in UTDT, Argentina (since 2017)
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Comparative Politics III (BA level). Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (2010) and UTDT MA level (2019)
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Modern Political Theory (PhD level). Flacso- Mexico (2010 and 2012)
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The Judiciary and Politics in Mexico. Supreme Court of Mexico (2012)
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QUANTITATIVE METHODS
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Multivariate Data Analysis (MA level). University of Bergen, Norway (2014) and Flacso-Ecuador (2019)
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Applied Quantitative and Qualitative Methods (MA level, TA). Hertie School of Governance, Germany (2008)