Victor Menaldo

About

Department of Political Science, University of Washington
Research: Advancing the Study of the Politics of Redistribution
Fellowship period: Academic year, 2009–10

Victor Menaldo was a National Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is also an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, in the Political Science Department.

In addition, Menaldo is affiliated with Stanford’s Social Science History Program, within the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences.

His research focuses on three interrelated topics: (1) identifying the initial conditions under which countries’ economic and political institutions emerge, (2) assessing when and how these “fundamental” institutions change in the face of crises, and (3) explaining why these institutions condition countries’ long-run development: their tax systems, regime types, and public policies. Although most of his research focuses on Latin America, particularly Chile and Colombia, it also encompasses the Middle East and Africa.

Recent publications under review include Do Natural Resources Fuel Authoritarianism? and The Determinants of Property Rights in Latin America.

Menaldo has a BA in both philosophy and sociology from Colorado College, an MA in political science and policy from Claremont Graduate University, and a PhD in political science from Stanford.