Shannon O'Neil

Shannon O’Neil "is the fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her areas of expertise include globalization, policy reform, democratic stability and governance, and Latin American immigration to the United States. Her research focuses on the effects of market reforms on democratic governance in Latin America. She is an expert on Latin American social security and pension systems, and has conducted extensive research on the economic and political effects of social security privatization throughout the region. She is currently working on a book on Mexico, analyzing the political, economic, and social transformations Mexico has undergone over the last two decades, and the significance of these changes for U.S.- Mexico relations. She directs the Independent Task Force on U.S.-Latin American Relations and the Latin America, America Latin Roundtable Series at the Council.

"In addition to her work at the Council, Dr. O’Neil teaches Latin American Politics in the political science department and is a visiting scholar at the Institute of Latin American Studies, both at Columbia University. Dr. O'Neil publishes LatIntelligence - www.latintelligence.com - a blog analyzing Latin American politics, economics, and public policies. She is a frequent commentator on major television and radio programs.

"Before joining the Council, she was a justice, welfare, and economics fellow and an executive committee member and graduate associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. She was also a Fulbright Scholar in Mexico and Argentina. Prior to her academic work, Dr. O’Neil worked in the private sector as an equity analyst at Indosuez Capital Latin America and Credit Lyonnais Securities. She holds a PhD in Government from Harvard University, a MA in International Relations from Yale University, and a BA from Yale University."


 * Member, Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on Latin America