Presents a novel theory that argues that drug violence results from complex interactions between states and criminal actors. Includes systematic analysis of a dimension that is often mentioned in media or even in academic analyses but not treated in a systematic, conceptual analysis: the visibility of violence. Makes substantial empirical contributions while comparing five cities that have been home to major trafficking organizations for the past four decades: Cali and Medellín in Colombia, and Ciudad Juárez, Culiacán, and Tijuana in Mexico
The European Commission is preparing a third phase of this programme, therefore COPOLAD will be back at the beginning of 2021.