Dr Nicholas Pope

Brazil Institute, King’s College London

Mentor: Prof Anthony Pereira

Project title: Coercive brokerage and illicit economies through the urban frontiers

This project examines the security and governance functionalities of parastatal groups and drug gangs in two communities in the urban peripheries of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil. By developing the concept of the ‘coercive broker’ in the urban frontier, this project examines how power is negotiated by different types of actors and organisations through urban space in order to secure access to resources and networks, establish local systems of dis/order, rule, and governance, and facilitate capital accumulation.