Dr Kevin Zapata-Celestino

I have relevant experience working on individual and multidisciplinary research projects with a strong focus on social and public policy in Latin America. For my doctoral thesis, I investigated how a policy community populated by renowned scholars, domestic policymakers and international consultants was able to frame Mexico’s antipoverty agenda for more than two decades by exercising direct influence on the policy elite.

Previously, I was part of the research consortium "Solidarity in Times of a Pandemic + Latin America" coordinated by the University of Vienna. This project sought to understand the social impact of the pandemic in twelve countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and to compile the experiences of local communities. Similarly, I worked as a research consultant at Oxfam in the project "The Political Economy of Fiscal Injustice in Mexico", in which I investigated the state capture mechanism employed by big corporations to preserve their economic interests.

Some of my recent research concerns what I call "clandestine welfare" in Latin America. I am interested in identifying and explaining the mechanisms used by illicit organisations (e.g., drug-trafficking groups, rebel groups, and gangs) in the region to provide welfare to individuals and communities that lack access to formal social protection. In addition, I am currently working in partnership with colleagues in Mexico on a project aimed at understanding school bullying from the perpetrators’ perspective. The purpose is to promote better-tailored interventions to reduce the school bullying pandemic in the country.

Regarding my teaching experience, I have taught UG and PG courses at various universities in the UK including the University of Edinburgh, UCL, and the University of Nottingham.

Aside from my academic work, I am a regular guest columnist and media commentator in Mexico and Latin America.

Bullying explained by bullies: Lessons from Mexico | Coffee break research at LSE

Although student perspectives on bullying in primary and secondary schools are increasingly studied, few delve into the experiences of those who perpetrate it.
Dr Kevin Zapata Celestino’s talk deepens our understanding of this issue, giving insights from interviews with 13 former students in Mexico involved in bullying. By delving into their life stories and memories from childhood and adolescence, his research reveals the complex social and psychological factors behind bullying and school violence.

Watch on LSE Player here.

Published on: 17 Dec 2025