Expertise:
Latin America Democracy, Comparative Voting Behavior, Latin American Politics, Populism, African Politics, Foreign PolicyRobert Nyenhuis teaches courses on Comparative Politics and International Relations including Latin American Politics and US Foreign Policy. He is currently working on a book manuscript on why Latin American citizens vote for populist presidential candidates. And has work under review that examines voting behavior for outsider presidential candidates in Benin, Africans’ attitudes toward Chinese influence in the continent, and Latin Americans’ reasons for invalidating electoral ballots. His research has appeared in the Bolivian Research Review, the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, and edited volumes on Electoral Courts and historical populists in Latin America.
Recent Grants and Fellowships:
- Cal Poly Pomona, Provost’s Teacher-Scholar Support Program, $6,483, 2019; and $6,483, 2018
- Cal Poly Pomona, Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (RSCA) Award, $5,000, 2018
Selected Publications:
- “Populism in South America: Democratic Panacea or Pitfall?” American Journal of Economics and Sociology (Forthcoming)
- With D. Kapiszewski and J.S. Alexander, “Judging Elections: Electoral Courts and Democracy in Latin America’s Federal Systems” In Beyond High Courts: The Justice Complex in Contemporary Latin America (D. Kapiszewski and M.C. Ingram, University of Notre Dame Press, Kellogg Institute Series, 2019)
- “The Electoral Advantages of Presidential Incumbency: Evo Morales’ 2014 Triumph,” Bolivian Research Review, 11 Nov. 2016, 1: 1-19
- “Populists in Latin America: Enfranchising Electorates or Cunningly Controlling Them?” in Voting: A History (J. Hill, ed., Ohio University, under review 2019)
- With J. Gellers, “Experiential Learning Exercises’ Effects on Students’ Attitudes Towards the Global Poor,” PS: Political Science & Politics (under review 2019)
- “How do voters choose among presidential outsiders? Evidence from the 2016 Benin election,” Journal of Modern African Studies (under review 2019)
Interviews:
Op-Eds
- “Sierra Leone elections: survey reveals what voters care about most,” The Conversation, June 22, 2023
- “Is democracy on the ballot in west Africa? What the latest data tells us,” San Diego Sun, April 4, 2023
Education:
B.A., Political Science, University of Missouri
M.A. & Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, Irvine
Languages:
English (native), Afrikaans (native), Spanish (fluent)