Dr Valeria Guarneros-Meza

Understanding changes in local governance have driven my research career to date. My interests have focused on the impact that structural economic changes and institutional socio-political reforms have on local governance. Democratic principles such as citizen participation, inclusion and accountability have also drawn my attention and, in particular, how these concepts and meanings affect the organisational structures of local government as well as the practices and behaviour of local government bureaucrats. I have been able to study these topics within the English and Welsh contexts and in Mexico and Latin America.

My research on England and Wales has analysed the capacity that local government has in promoting and maintaining a system of citizen participation in the delivery of services and the power relations that local government has experienced with higher tiers of government in order to deliver services.

My research on Mexico has analysed how urban governance has responded to structural changes experienced by the state in response to neoliberal economic policies and democratisation. These changes have shown how new organisational arrangements of service delivery have been created, whilst maintaining legacies of the former authoritarian regime.

Increasing levels of insecurity in Latin America, have more recently driven my research interests to focus on how securitising and in/formal practices interweave with social contexts of violence and extraction in the daily activities of residents and frontline officers in the delivery of public services.

I welcome applications from prospective PhD students on the following themes:

-Citizen participation, securitisation and local governance

-Self-provision of local services and its impact on local government structures

-Local service provision across formal-informal and legal-illegal spheres of action

-Areas: Latin America, UK, other countries welcome subject to candidate’s experience

Centre for Urban Research on Austerity (deputy director)  (http://www.dmu.ac.uk/cura)

Local Governance Research Centre (member) (https://www.dmu.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/lgrc/areas-of-expertise.aspx)

• Guarneros-Meza, V. and A. Jenss, (forthcoming) Transformed security practices: Informalization in the production of hegemony as place, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, in press 

• Madrigal González, D. and V. Guarneros-Meza (forthcoming) Responsabilidad social empresarial (RSE), discursos extractivistas y participación comunitaria en la minería: los casos de Cananea, Sonora y Cerro de San Pedro, San Luis Potosí [Corporate social responsibility (CSR), extractivist discourses and community participation in mining: the cases of Cananea, Sonora and Cerro de San Pedro, San Luis Potosí, Desacatos (in press)

• Guarneros-Meza, V. (forthcoming) Governance, participation and hegemony: Governing Cananea and the Río Sonora Region, Latin American Perspectives (in press)

• Pill, M. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2019) The everyday local state? Opening up and closing down informality in local governance, Local Government Studies, published online May 2019, DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2019.1624256        

• Guarneros-Meza, V. I. Telleria, A. Blas and M. Pill (2018) ‘The Jewel in the Crown: Co-optive capacity and participation during austerity in Cardiff and San Sebastian-Donostia’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, [published online November 2018, DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.12709

• Zaremberg, G., M. Torres-Wong and V. Guarneros-Meza (2018) Descrifrando el desorden: instituciones participativas y conflictos en torno a megaproyectos en México, [Deciphering disorder: participative institutions and conflicts in megaprojects in Mexico], América Latina Hoy, 79, pp.81-102.

• Andrews, R.; T. Entwistle and V. Guarneros-Meza (2018), ‘Local Government Size and Political Efficacy: Do Citizen Panels Make a Difference?’, International Journal of Public Administration [published online July 2018, DOI:10.1080/01900692.2018.1499774

• Guarneros-Meza V.; J. Downe and S. Martin (2017)
  Defining, achieving and evaluating collaborative outcomes: a theory of change
  approach, Public Management Review, [online publication October 2017 DOI:
  10.1080/14719037.2017.1383782

• Pill, M. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2017) Local governance under austerity: hybrid organizations and hybrid officers, Policy & Politics, [online publication March 2017 DOI: 10.1332/030557317X14895966143481

•  Guarneros-Meza, V. (2017) Citizen security in Mexico: Examining municipal bureaucracy from the view of the intermediation-representation debate, in Zaremberg, G., V. Guarneros-Meza and A. Gurza Lavalle (eds), Intermediation and Representation in Latin America: Actors and roles beyond elections, Palgrave Macmillan.

• Guarneros-Meza, V. and S. Martin (2016) Boundary Spanning in Local Service Partnerships: Coahces, Advocates or Enforcers? Public Managemet Review, 18(2).

• Andrews, R, J. Downe and V. Guarneros-Meza (2015) 'Contracting for cohesion: Can local area agreements make a difference?, Policy & Politics, online July 2013.

• Guarneros-Meza, V. (2014)  'The local bureaucrat in the making of urban power', Cities, DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2014.07.004

• Abello-Colak, A. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2014) ‘The role of criminal actors in local governance’, Urban Studies, 51(1), doi:10.1177/0042098013519831

• Martin, S. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2013) 'Governing Local Partnerships: Does External Steering Help Local Agencies Address Wicked Problems?', Policy & Politics, 41(4).

• Entwistle, T. J. Downe, V. Guarneros-Meza and S. Martin (2012) ‘The multi-level governance of Wales: layer cake or marble cake’ , British Journal of Politics and International Relations, online publication, ISSN 1467-856X.

• Guarneros-Meza , V. J. Downe, T. Entwistle and S. Martin (2012) ‘ Putting the citizen at the centre: assembling local government policy in Wales’, Local Government Studies, online November 2012, ISSN 0300-3930.

• Guarneros-Meza, V. and M. Geddes (2010) ‘Local governance and participation under neoliberalism: comparative perspectives, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research , 34(1).

• Guarneros-Meza, V. (2009) ‘Mexican urban governance: how old and new institutions coexist and interact’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research , 33(2).

• Guarneros-Meza, V. (2009) ‘Governance, parties and participation in Mexico’, in Lievesley, G. and S. Ludlam (eds.) Reclaiming ‘Our America’: Radical Social Democracy in Latin America, Zed Books, May 2009.

• Guarneros-Meza, V. (2008) ‘Local governance and democratisation: the cases of the historic centres of Querétaro and San Luis Potosí in Mexico’, Urban Studies, 45(10).

• Local politics (political economy, development, central-local relations)
• Citizen participation (regeneration, neighbourhood management, extractivism)
• Governance (local level, networks, security)
• Collaboration (organisational management and change)
• Partnership (public-public and public-community bodies)
• Latin America (Mexico)

• Public policy
• Public administration
• Urban politics
• Governance
• Development

• PhD (De Montfort University)
• MSc (University of York)
• BA (Hons) (Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico)

Best Early Career Prize paper for articles - awarded by Policy & Politics Journal editorial board, April 2019.

Open access: Pill, M. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2017) 'Local governance under austerity: hybrid organizations and hybrid officers', Policy & Politics, [online publication March 2017 DOI: 10.1332/030557317X14895966143481]

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tpp/pap/pre-prints/content-pppolicypold1600024r3

Advisory-Board Member (2019-ongoing) of the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy  https://icld.se/en/

• Political Studies Association, UK
• Latin American Studies Association, USA
• Latin American Geographies Group, UK 

1. Conversing with Goliath? Participation, mobilisation and repression around neo-extractivist and environmental conflicts (2017-2020). Isolated academic research prompted this project to systematise information regarding these conflicts in Mexico (national and subnational levels). Focus was placed on: involved actors (communities, companies and governments), their relationships and repertoires of action, their type of demands, regulation and use of judicial strategies and the capacity of governmental intervention. 

This project was co-led by Dr Gisela Zaremberg and in collaboration with Dr Marcela Torres Wong, both based in FLACSO Mexico and financed by the British Academy (ref. AF160219).

Project website: http://observandoagoliat.com/en/

2. Surviving the Informal City (ongoing). This project explores the intersections of informality across work and everyday life, incorporating perspectives on precarious work, informal relations of governance at neighbourhood levels and the ways in which communities navigate and survive these dual conditions of informality. The project aims to compare these processes and trends across Argentina, India and Ethiopia. This is a project in collaboration with Dr Adam Fishwick (De Montfort University), Dr Maurizio Atzioni (CEIL-Buenos Aires), Dr Andreas Admasie (IISG-Netherlands) and Prof. Supriya RoyChowdhuri (NIAS, Bangalore).

3. Informal Nocturnal City (2022-2024). With Dr Begona Aramayona, the project focuses on low-income employment of transnational un-regulated migrants in southern Europe, who tend to be the most vulnerable actors in cities affected by informality, the application of national migration laws, surveillance and securitisation measures, and local policies based on ‘zero tolerance’ models. Over the course of the project, we will be studying the complex intricate and intimate interplay between the ‘diurnal city’ and the ‘nocturnal (in/formal) city’, in which processes of in/visibility, resistance, reproduction and (re-)appropriation amalgamate to produce the governance of three cities: Madrid, Lisbon and Rome.

This project is sponsored by the EU Horizon 2020-Marie S. Curie Actions Postdoctoral Individual Fellowships. 

• Pill, M. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2019) The everyday local state? Opening up and closing down informality in local governance, Local Government Studies, published online May 2019, DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2019.1624256   

• Guarneros-Meza, V. I. Telleria, A. Blas and M. Pill (2018) ‘The Jewel in the Crown: Co-optive capacity and participation during austerity in Cardiff and San Sebastian-Donostia’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, [published online November 2018, DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.12709

• Andrews, R.; T. Entwistle and V. Guarneros-Meza (2018), ‘Local Government Size and Political Efficacy: Do Citizen Panels Make a Difference?’, International Journal of Public Administration [published online July 2018, DOI:10.1080/01900692.2018.1499774

• Guarneros-Meza V.; J. Downe and S. Martin (2017)
  Defining, achieving and evaluating collaborative outcomes: a theory of change
  approach, Public Management Review, [online publication October 2017 DOI:
  10.1080/14719037.2017.1383782]

• Pill, M. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2017) Local
  governance under austerity: hybrid organizations and hybrid officers, Policy
  & Politics, [online publication March 2017 DOI:
  10.1332/030557317X14895966143481]
• Zaremberg, G. V. Guarneros-Meza and A. Gurza Lavalle (eds.) (2017) Intermediation and representation in Latin America:actors and roles before elections, Palgrave Macmillan.
• Guarneros-Meza, V. and S. Martin (2016) Boundary Spanning in Local Service Partnerships: Coahces, Advocates or Enforcers? Public Managemet Review, 18(2).
• Andrews, R, J. Downe and V. Guarneros-Meza (2015) 'Contracting for cohesion: Can local area agreements make a difference?, Policy & Politics, online July 2013.
• Guarneros-Meza, V. (2014)  'The local bureaucrat in the making of urban power', Cities, DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2014.07.004
• Abello-Colak, A. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2014) ‘The role of criminal actors in local governance’, Urban Studies, 51(1), doi:10.1177/0042098013519831
• Martin, S. and V. Guarneros-Meza (2013) 'Governing Local Partnerships: Does External Steering Help Local Agencies Address Wicked Problems?', Policy & Politics, 41(4).
• Entwistle, T. J. Downe, V. Guarneros-Meza and S. Martin (2012) ‘The multi-level governance of Wales: layer cake or marble cake’ , British Journal of Politics and International Relations, online publication, ISSN 1467-856X
• Guarneros-Meza , V. J. Downe, T. Entwistle and S. Martin (2012) ‘ Putting the citizen at the centre: assembling local government policy in Wales’, Local Government Studies, online November 2012, ISSN 0300-3930
• Guarneros-Meza, V. and M. Geddes (2010) ‘Local governance and participation under neoliberalism: comparative perspectives, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research , 34(1).
• Guarneros-Meza, V. (2009) ‘Mexican urban governance: how old and new institutions coexist and interact’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research , 33(2).
• Guarneros-Meza, V. (2009) ‘Governance, parties and participation in Mexico’, in Lievesley, G. and S. Ludlam (eds.) Reclaiming ‘Our America’: Radical Social Democracy in Latin America, Zed Books, May 2009.
• Guarneros-Meza, V. (2008) ‘Local governance and democratisation: the cases of the historic centres of Querétaro and San Luis Potosí in Mexico’, Urban Studies, 45(10).

• Area of expertise: partnership working among local public service providers
• Company:  Welsh Government
• Date:  2008-2014
• Reports submitted: http://business.cardiff.ac.uk/research/projects/evaluation-local-service-board-european-social-fund-esf-development-and-priority

I can offer PhD supervision on the following themes:

-Citizen participation and local governance
-Self-provision of local services and its impact on local government structures
-Local service provision across formal-informal and legal-illegal spheres of action
-Areas: Latin America, UK, other countries welcome subject to candidate’s experience

Ibrahim Has, full time student at De Montfort University, thesis 'Urban securitisation in Turkey', 2016-2021

Graham Martin, full time student at Cardiff University, thesis: ' Participatory Municipal Governance in Venezuela'. Viva passed with minor corrections, July 2015

• Co-applicant for £78,223 studying participation, mobilisation and repression in neo-extractivist and environmental conflicts in Mexico (2017-2020), led by Dr. Gisela Zaremberg (FLACSO-Mexico), funded by British Academy-Newton Advanced Fellowship Scheme.­
• Co-applicant for £250,000 evaluating the impact of Local Service Boards-European Structural Funding (2012-14), led by Steve Martin (Cardiff University), funded Welsh Government.
• ­Co-applicant for £150,000 studying links between social cohesion and public management; led by Rhys Andrews (Cardiff University);  partner in the research consortium project ‘COCOPS – Coordinating for Cohesion in the Public Sector of the Future’ (2011-2014), funded European Framework Seven.
• ­Project team member studying austerity governance in Spain and the UK (2013-2015); led by Ismael Blanco (Autonomous University of Barcelona); funded Spanish Research Council.

• 'Urban securitisation: a compartive analysis between the global North and South', Research and Innovation Funding, De Montfort Univeristy, 2015-2016.
• 'Surviving the Informal City', with Adam Fishwick, DMU-Global Challenges Research Fund, Jan-Jul 2020.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13510347.2017.1363188?journalCode=fdem20