The Maxwell School >> Political Science >> Matt Cleary

About the Professor

Matt Cleary is an assistant professor of political science in the Maxwell School.  He studies elections, democratization, democratic theory, and ethnic politics, with a geographical focus on Latin America.

Cleary has published work on democratic responsiveness in Mexico, and on the leftist electoral resurgence in Latin America.  He also recently published Democracy and the Culture of Skepticism (with Susan C. Stokes), which uses evidence from Argentina and Mexico to argue that democracy functions better when citizens are skeptical towards government, rather than unconditionally trusting.  He is nearing completion of a book called The Sources of Democratic Responsiveness in Mexico which will be published next year, and he has begun a major research project investigating the political implications of local autonomy in Mexican indigenous communities.  A preliminary research paper describing the project can be found here.

Cleary also coordinates the Political Science Research Workshop, which is a venue for local faculty and graduate students to present work in progress to our departmental community.

To see Cleary's c.v. and information on his courses, click on the links to the left.