Peter H. Smith

Peter H. Smith is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Simón Bolívar Professor of Latin American Studies at UC San Diego. He holds adjunct roles in History and International Relations & Pacific Studies (IRPS). His academic journey includes faculty positions at Dartmouth, UW-Madison, MIT, and visiting appointments at institutions across Latin America and China. Smith specializes in comparative politics, Latin American politics, and U.S.-Latin American relations. He served as Interim Director of UCSD’s Latin American Studies program and hosted a UCSD-TV talk show on hemispheric relations.

Education: PhD in Comparative Politics from Columbia University (1966), magna cum laude from Harvard College. His research focuses on democratization, regional integration (e.g., NAFTA, FTAA), and cross-regional comparisons between Latin America and Asia. Notable works include Democracy in Latin America and Modern Latin America.

Awards: 2013 Kalman Silvert Award for lifetime contributions to Latin American Studies. Research methodologies emphasize comparative and quantitative approaches. Active in policy engagement and public scholarship through media and interdisciplinary collaborations.