I am an assistant professor of comparative politics in the Political Science Department at the U.S. Naval Academy.  My research is broadly focused on the effects of political institutions on democratic stability, policymaking, and governance, especially in Latin America.  I am also interested in the application of formal modeling and quantitative methodology to answering research questions in these areas.  I am fluent in English and Spanish, and I also speak Portuguese.

One of my primary areas of research is how the executive branch of government exercises power.  My current work examines how lawmakers in countries with low capacity bureaucracies assure the effective implementation of given public policies, and how their choice of bureaucratic agents affects the likelihood of policy success.  I am also interested in presidential (in)stability, specifically in patterns of coups d'état and presidential impeachment, coalition dynamics under presidentialism, and the design of electoral institutions.  Please contact me if you have any questions about my work or data.
Op-eds/ commentary
 “Venezuela Update and China-Venezuela Relations” on the Latin American Intersections Podcast with Michael Scadden, July 26, 2018.
​“The 'Real Venezuela' is Exactly What You Think” in the University of Pittsburgh's Panoramas Blog, June 12, 2018.
“Venezuelan Politics, Military, and Election Results” on the Latin American Intersections Podcast with Michael Scadden, June 8, 2018.
“Constitutional Change in Ecuador: Improving Democratic Accountability—and Constraining a Rival” in ConstitutionNet, International IDEA, March 31, 2018.
 “Ecuador: Referendum Marks Critical Juncture for Moreno and Correa” in American University’s AULA Blog, February 2, 2018.
“Las municipales y panorama 2018” on the Venezuela Global Podcast with José de Bastos and Mariano de Alba, December 7, 2017.
"Getting Rid of the President" (with Aníbal Pérez-Liñán) in the Presidential Power blog, June 14, 2017
“Ecuador: Moreno's Victory Probably Not Enough” in American University’s AULA Blog, May 9, 2017. 
“Cómo funcionaría un gobierno de coalición en Ecuador” (with Andrés Mejía Acosta) in 4 Pelagatos, March 7, 2017.
“Ecuador votes on Sunday. These are 5 things you need to know”, The Monkey Cage in The Washington Post, February 17, 2017. 
“A Return to Political Instability for Ecuador?” in American University’s AULA Blog, February 17, 2017. 
 “The Venezuelan Mess” on Dr. Gregory Weeks’ Podcast Understanding Latin American Politics, November 1, 2016.
“Bringing International Pressure to Bear on Nicolás Maduro”, “Three Factors Driving Venezuela’s Impasse”, and “How Venezuela Got Into this Mess” (with Matthew M. Taylor) in Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), October 28, 2016.
“Brazil’s impeachment process is not a coup (or, how I learned to stop worrying and love impeachment)​” in Latin America Goes Global, April 27, 2016.
“How Did Venezuela’s MUD Get Its Supermajority?” in Latin America Goes Global, December 14, 2015
“Party Nationalization after the 2013 Ecuadorian Legislative and Presidential Election” (with Jason A. Eichorst), in The Monkey Cage, March 14, 2013. 
“¿Cómo se mide la moralidad de las acciones de WikiLeaks?” in Gurú Político, December 15, 2010, Mexico City, Mexico. 
“Asamblea y transparencia” in Diario El Hoy, Quito, Ecuador, August 13, 2009.
In the press
"Crisis de Nicaragua genera migración masiva a Costa Rica," in Voice of America, August 8, 2018.
​"Trump keeps suggesting an invasion of Venezuela, and the government there keeps taking advantage of it", in Business Insider, July 5, 2018.
"The US is putting a full-court press on Venezuela, but it may not get to call all the shots", in Business Insider, June 7, 2018.
"Uma onda de raiva", in Expresso (Portugal), April 23, 2018.
"Life after PPK: What the resignation of Peru's President means for the country", The Verdict, April 10, 2018.
​"Peru's Wise-Man President Toppled by Graft He Had Pledged to End​" in Bloomberg, March 21, 2018.
"Ecuador's Correa barred from presidency in national referendum" in The Miami Herald, February 4, 2018.
"Los golpes de Estado en el siglo XXI son cada vez menos frecuentes" in La Tercera (Chile), December 3, 2017.
"坐拥油源却陷经济崩溃 委内瑞拉政治风险引爆债务危机" ("Sitting on oil but facing economic collapse, Venezuelan political risk detonated debt crisis") in Caixin Global (China), November 29, 2017
"Venezuela debt crisis may offer political upside for Maduro" in The Wall Street Journal, November 3, 2017.
“Venezuela vote dispute risks rekindling unrest, sanctions” in Reuters, October 16, 2017.
“As Maduro's Venezuela Rips Apart, so Does His Military” in The New York Times, August 8, 2017. 
"Un Nuevo Despertar" on NY WLIE 540 AM, New York, June 28, 2017
“Latin America's struggling left boosted by win in Ecuador election” in Reuters, April 3, 2017. 
“Global Journalist: Ecuador election tests Correa's legacy” on KBIA 91.3 Missouri Public Radio, March 17, 2017.
“El Show de Julio Sánchez Cristo”, on W Radio, Caracol 1260 AM, Miami, March 13, 2017.
“FIU Conference Makes Clear U.S. Needs More Hemispheric Strategy Than A Wall” on WLRN Miami-NPR, March 10, 2017.
​“Crisis venezolana tiene efectos nocivos en el hemisferio” in El Nuevo Herald, Miami, March 9, 2017.
“Ecuador elige presidente en un panorama fragmentado” in El Nacional, Caracas, February 19, 2017.
“In Venezuela, women selling hair to make ends meet” on Foxnews.com, December 6, 2016.
“Venezuela’s Move Spurs Crisis of Democracy” in The Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2016.
“Editorial: A change in Brazil” in The Providence Journal, September 21, 2016.
 “¿Golpe en Brasil, o en Venezuela?” in El Nuevo Herald, Miami, September 1, 2016.
“What happened in Brazil was not a ‘coup,’ not even close” in The Miami Herald, August 31, 2016.
“Is a Coup Taking Place in Brazil?” in The Atlantic Monthly, May 2, 2016.
Contact information:
John Polga-Hecimovich
Political Science Department
United States Naval Academy
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5030
polgahec(at)usna(dot)edu