I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at the University of Chicago, specializing in comparative politics and quantitative methods. I study comparative political behavior, redistributive politics, and democratic backsliding, with a regional focus on Latin America.
My dissertation examines the determinants of anti-establishment attitudes and protest behavior among voters. Through survey experiments, text-as-data analysis of speeches, semi-structured interviews, and case studies, my research identifies the sources of different forms of political behavior that citizens employ to express their dissatisfaction with the political establishment. It also elucidates the strategies outsider politicians adopt to attract support from disenchanted voters and explores the broader consequences for democracy. In other projects, I investigate how conflict shapes support for pro-indigenous policies and the effects of denialist rhetoric on anti-democratic attitudes.
My research has received support from the Center for International Social Science Research, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, and the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. From 2024 to 2025, I will be a Graduate Fellow at the Social Sciences Research Center.
I hold a B.A. in Political Science from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT), Argentina.
My CV is available here. You can contact me by e-mail at lcella@uchicago.edu.
My CV is available here. You can contact me by e-mail at lcella@uchicago.edu.
