About
Steven Levitsky serves as the David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and Professor of Government at Harvard University, concurrently directing the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. He holds senior fellowships at both the Kettering Foundation and Council on Foreign Relations, cementing his status as a leading scholar of comparative politics with specialization in Latin American political systems.
Levitsky's research critically examines democratization processes, authoritarian resilience, political party dynamics, and informal institutional frameworks. His methodological approach combines historical and qualitative analysis to dissect how weak institutions enable democratic backsliding, particularly through his groundbreaking work on competitive authoritarianism and minority rule pathologies. This scholarship directly informs contemporary debates about U.S. democratic fragility.
His major publications include the New York Times bestseller How Democracies Die (co-authored with Daniel Ziblatt) which achieved global impact through 30-language publication, alongside seminal works like Competitive Authoritarianism (2010) and Revolution and Dictatorship (2022). Current research focuses on democratic resilience mechanisms worldwide.
Key recognitions include:
- Senior Fellow, Kettering Foundation
- Senior Democracy Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Levitsky actively engages public discourse through columns in The New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and major Latin American outlets including La República (Peru) and Folha de São Paulo (Brazil), translating academic insights into urgent policy commentary. His recent media appearances, including The Daily Show, demonstrate significant real-world influence of his scholarship on democratic theory.
