Christopher Martinez

Professor of Political Science

University of Concepción

Biography

I am Associate Professor of Political Science in the Department of Public Administration and Political Science at University of Concepción (Chile). My current research interests include presidential survival, government crises, presidential power, institutional performance, and democratic consolidation in Latin America.

Interests
  • Presidential survival
  • Government crises
  • Presidential power
  • Institutional performance
  • Democratic consolidation in Latin America
Education
  • Ph.D. in Political Science, 2015

    Loyola University Chicago, United States

  • M.A., International Studies, 2010

    University of Chile, Chile

  • B.A., Political and Administrative Science, 2005

    University of Concepcion, Chile

Most recent book

Already available for purchase
Why Presidents Fail: Political Parties and Government Survival in Latin America

Democracy and political parties go hand in hand. Strong parties are fundamental for advancing, stabilizing, and improving democratic governance. But how exactly do political parties relate to, and contribute to, the survival of presidential administrations? Since 1979, over twenty Latin American chief executives had been forced out of office, without a democratic breakdown—a phenomenon known as “presidential failure.” Why Presidents Fail offers a nuanced assessment of how political parties influence how and when executives weather political crises and unrest.

Christopher A. Martínez takes a close look at how different factors come into play to explain why some presidents complete their terms in office without incident, others barely make it to the end after stumbling upon crisis after crisis, and some are forced out or impeached before their term is finished. Drawing on a novel theoretical approach, an original database on presidential scandals and anti-government demonstrations, regression (survival analysis) models, country case studies, and interviews with more than one hundred country specialists and top-level politicians, Why Presidents Fail provides an innovative, comprehensive assessment of how political parties influence presidential survival and contributes fresh ideas to the debates on the stability of presidential governments.

Honors and Awards

Chilean Political Science Association
Award: Best political science paper for 2014-2016
Article: Presidential survival in South America: Rethinking the role of democracy
Loyola University Chicago
Award: Social Sciences Dissertation of the Year
Graduate School
American Political Science Association (APSA)
Award: Francis Rourke Founder’s Award
Presidents & Executive Politics Section
Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation
Fellowship: Arthur J. Schmitt Dissertation Fellowship
Loyola University Chicago
Award: Best Graduate Paper Award
Category: Experimental Methods. Annual Graduate School
Illinois State University
Award: Pi Sigma Alpha Best Graduate Paper Award
Annual Illinois State University Conference for Political Science Students
Loyola University Chicago
Award: Tuma-Gravett Award for Academic Excellence
Department of Political Science
Loyola University Chicago
Fellowship: Graduate Merit Award
Graduate School
CONICYT
Fellowship: Fulbright