Columbia University’s María Victoria Murillo, professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs, was the keynote speaker at the XIII Chilean Political Science Congress held in October 24-26 in Santiago. During the opening ceremony of what is considered most important event on this discipline in the country, organized by the Chilean Political Science Association, Murillo gave a lecture on institutional weakness in Latin America. She argued that strong and weak institutions coexist in the region and pointed out weak institutions as a strategic choice by political actors rather than a result of deficient design. During the Congress, she also presented Fernando Rosenblatt´s book “Party Vibrancy and Democracy in Latin America” (Oxford University Press) and acted as jury for the best research poster award. During her visit to Chile, Murillo was interviewed by several media outlets including 24Horas, El Mercurio and radios Cooperativa and Infinita. Her trip was sponsored by the Chilean Political Science Association and the Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES).
