Barbara Geddes

Barbara Geddes is Professor Emerita of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. She works on democratization, authoritarian transitions, and political development with a focus on Latin American politics.

Her early work investigated bureaucratic reform and corruption in Brazil, the politics of economic policy-making in Latin America, and political bargaining over institutional choice. Professor Geddes’ current research focuses on the breakdown of authoritarian regimes. Her theoretical typology informs a comprehensive data analytical project describing authoritarian regimes since 1946. Early conclusions from this study about regime duration and modes of transition appear in What Do We Know about Democratization after Twenty Years, Annual Review of Political Science 2 (1999). Geddes recently completed a book on comparative political research methods called Paradigms and Sand Castles: Theory Building and Research Design in Comparative Politics. Professor Geddes teaches courses on research design and Latin American politics. The Latin American politics class focuses on political institutions, contemporary democratic politics, and threats to democracy. Geddes plays a central role in our graduate program, serving on numerous dissertation committees.