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, with a particular focus on 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. Contact information:
John Polga-Hecimovich Political Science Department United States Naval Academy 589 McNair Road Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5030 polgahec(at)usna(dot)edu |