Isabela Mares

Isabela Mares is the Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science and Director of the European Union Center at Yale University. Her research focuses on comparative politics of Europe, political economy, electoral systems, and social policy reforms. She has authored five books, including Conditionality and Coercion: Electoral Clientelism in Eastern Europe (2018) and Protecting the Ballot: How First Wave Democracies Ended Electoral Corruption (2022). Her work has received prestigious awards such as the William Riker Award and Gregory Luebbert Award. Mares has taught at Stanford, Columbia, and held visiting roles at SciencesPo and Central European University. Her research examines electoral corruption, taxation, and democratization processes.

Education & Academic Background

• PhD in Political Science (not explicitly stated, inferred from roles)
• Prior faculty positions at Stanford University and Columbia University
• Visiting Professorships at SciencesPo (Paris) and Central European University (Budapest)

Research Interests

Mares specializes in comparative politics with a focus on electoral integrity, clientelism, taxation, and welfare state development. Her work bridges historical and contemporary cases, analyzing how institutions shape political and economic outcomes. Recent projects include studies on antiparliamentarism and historical democratization processes.

Recent Article Trends

Her recent publications address modern challenges such as energy transition policies, populism’s impact on social protection, and historical electoral reforms. These articles emphasize institutional resilience, voter behavior, and the political economy of reform.

Awards & Recognition

• Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellow
• Multiple APSA awards for books and papers

Teaching & Mentorship

Mares teaches courses on political economy, comparative politics, and historical analysis. At Yale, she co-organizes the Seminar in American and Comparative Political Behavior. While specific advisees are not listed, her mentorship is evident through collaborative research projects and co-authored works (e.g., with Lauren Young).

Labs & Collaborations

She leads the European Union Center at Yale, fostering interdisciplinary research on European politics. Her work often involves mixed-methods approaches, combining qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys in field-based studies.