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Edward L. Gibson

Kenneth Burgess Professor of Political Science

B.A.: Clark University, 1977; Ph.D.: Columbia University, 1992

Interests

Program Area(s): Comparative Politics

Regional Specialization(s): United States; Latin America

Subfield Specialties: American Political Development; Comparative Historical Analysis; Political Parties

Joint Appointment

Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Biography

Edward Gibson is a co-founder of Northwestern's Comparative Historical Social Science Program.  His research addresses the politics of democratization and authoritarianism, problems of federalism, and party politics. Most recent work explores subnational dynamics of authoritarianism and democratization in the United States and Latin America.  He is the author of Boundary Control: Subnational Authoritarianism in Federal Democracies (2012).  Boundary Control won the V.O. Key Award for the Best Book on U.S. Southern Politics, as well as the Latin American Studies Association's Donna Lee Van Cott Award for best book in Latin American Political Institutions.   He is also author of Class and Conservative Parties: Argentina in Comparative Perspective (1996), and editor of Federalism and Democracy in Latin America (2004).  Gibson has also published several articles on party politics, federalism, and democratization.

Gibson has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on Comparative Politics, Democratization, Federalism, Latin American Politics, and U.S. Foreign Policy.  He has won several teaching recognitions, including Northwestern University's John Deering McCormick Professorship in Teaching Excellence.  He also serves as the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at NU's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

Books  

  • Edward L. Gibson, Boundary Control: Subnational Authoritarianism in Federal Democracies, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics Series), 2012.
  • Edward L. Gibson, Editor, Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004. Contributed three articles to volume (see below).
  • Edward L. Gibson, Class and Conservative Parties: Argentina in Comparative Perspective (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996).

Select Publications   

  • "Elasticidades del Peronismo," in Marcos Novaro, Ed., El Peronismo y la Democracia en Argentina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2014.
  •  "Of Swords and Shields: Federalism and Territorial Democratization in the United States," in Scott Mainwaring and Douglas Chalmers, Eds., Institutions, Actors, and Democracy: Essays in Honor of Alfred Stepan, Notre Dame University Press (2012).
  •  "Federalized Party Systems: Theory and an Empirical Application to Argentina," (with Julieta Suarez Cao) Comparative Politics, Vol. 43, no. 1 (October 2010).
  • "Politics of the Periphery: An Introduction to Subnational Authoritarianism and Democratization in Latin America," Journal of Politics in Latin America 2,  August 2010: 3-12. (Guest Editor, Special issue on "Subnational Authoritarianism and Democratization in Latin America").
  • "Boundary Control: Subnational Authoritarianism in Democratic Countries," World Politics 58, October 2005.
  • "Unity by the Stick: Regional Conflict and the Origins of Argentine Federalism" (with Tulia Falleti). In Edward L. Gibson, ed., Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, pp. 226-254.
  • "Federalism and Low-Maintenance Constituencies: Territorial Dimensions of Economic Reform in Argentina," (with Ernesto Calvo) Studies in Comparative International Development 35:3 (Winter 2001).
  • "The Populist Road to Market Reform: Policy and Electoral Coalitions in Mexico and Argentina," World Politics 49, no. 3 (April 1997).

Courses taught

Undergraduate

  • Freshman Seminar: Global Democratization.
  •  "Introduction to Comparative Politics" (lecture).
  • "Latin American Politics" (lecture).
  • "Problems of Democracy" (lecture)
  • "The United States and Latin America" (lecture).
  • Senior Seminar: "The United States and Latin America."

Graduate

  • "Problems of Federalism"
  • "Territorial Politics"
  • "Democratization"
  • "Latin American Politics"

Awards

  • Donna Lee Van Cott Award for Best Book on Latin American Political Institutions (Latin American Studies Association), 2013, for Boundary Control.
  • V.O. Key Award for Best Book on U.S. Southern Politics (Southern Political Science Association), 2014, for Boundary Control.
  • The Searle Kinship Foundation, $100,000 award.
  • The George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation, Fellowship Award.
  • National Science Foundation, "Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)” Award.
  • Named to 2013 “Faculty Honor Roll” by Northwestern University Associated Student Government.
  • Named to 2009 “Faculty Honor Roll” by Northwestern University Associated Student Government.
  • Named to 2007 “Faculty Honor Roll” by Northwestern University Associated Student Government.
  • John Deering McCormick Professorship of Teaching Excellence. Highest university-wide teaching award, (endowed chair, effective 2003-2006) Northwestern University.
  • American Political Science Association and Phi Sigma Alpha, Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Political Science, 2002.
  • Named to 2001 “Faculty Honor Roll” by Northwestern University Associated Student Government.
  • Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, E. Leroy Hall Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2000.
  • Department of Political Science, Northwestern University, Barry Farrell Award for Excellence in Teaching, 1997.
  • Named to the 1995-1996 “Faculty Honor Roll” for teaching excellence by the Northwestern University Associated Student Government.
  • Named to the 1993-1994 “High Honors List” for teaching excellence by the University of Michigan Student Assembly.