Nelson A. Ruiz

About

Dr. Nelson A. Ruiz is a Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Associate Professor) in the Department of Government at the University of Essex and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics (LSE) Government Department. He also holds affiliations at Nuffield College Oxford, the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), and Oxford's Latin American Centre. His research focuses on the political economy of development, particularly the role of money in politics, corruption, and political selection, employing causal inference methods and data science tools.

Education

• PhD in Political Science, London School of Economics (2018)

Research Interests

His work explores how policies can mitigate or exacerbate money's influence in politics, with a focus on electoral accountability, campaign finance, and political corruption. He also studies the impact of electoral systems and ballot design on political outcomes.

Awards & Grants

• Recipient of the Best AJPS Paper Award (2022)
• Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (2022–2024)
• John Fell Fund Small Grant Winner

Professional Experience

Prior to academia, he worked at the Inter-American Development Bank evaluating development projects in Latin America. He has held teaching positions at the University of Essex, Nuffield College, and the University of Oxford.

Labs & Teams

He leads the Political Economy Research Division at Essex and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on projects combining data science with political analysis.