Dr Felipe Krause

I am a political scientist and former diplomat in the Brazilian Foreign Service (2007-2020). My main research focuses on the intersection between drug policy, social movements and political economy in Latin America. I am especially interested in social movements and other civil society groups that challenge the prohibition framework that has governed certain drugs for the last 100 years or so.

A key aspect of my work is to understand regulation and regulatory agencies, since they are a central piece of the prohibition framework. I find it fascinating that they are built to be impervious to pressure from organised civil society, and yet social movements, NGOs and other groups still manage to pierce through the various protective layers. What can we learn from this activity about how organised civil society is able to achieve policy goals and improve livelihoods across the region?

Another line of research concerns drug policy reform in the Western Hemisphere, viewed from an international relations perspective. As several countries begin to experiment with alternatives to prohibition, how can we assess the quality of these experiments? What, if any, are the possible next steps in terms of regional governance for drug policy?

Prior to coming to OSGA and the LAC, I taught at the Centre of Latin American Studies at the University of Cambridge, with which I remain affiliated. I concluded my PhD in Politics and International Studies at Cambridge, and my MPhil in Development Studies at Oxford.