Andrea Castagnola

Andrea Castagnola is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, and in the Law School at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is also an affiliated researcher at LawTransform (CMI-Norway) and an external consultant for the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and USAID. Her academic career spans institutions across Argentina, Norway, and Mexico, with significant contributions to judicial politics, particularly in Latin America.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Pittsburgh (USA), 2010 (Won an Honorable Mention from Lozano Memorial Dissertation Prize)
• M.A. in Political Science, University of Pittsburgh (USA), 2006
• M.A. in Development Management and Public Policy, Georgetown University (USA), 2004
• B.A. in International Studies, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (Argentina), 2001

Dr. Castagnola is an expert in transparency, justice, institutions, accountability, gender, fighting corruption, and data science. Her background in econometrics enables her to combine quantitative and qualitative research methods in her work. Her research has been published by Routledge, Cambridge University Press, and in specialized international academic journals, including the British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Journal of Politics in Latin America, and Política y Gobierno. She has authored the book "Manipulating Courts in New Democracies: Forcing Judges off the Bench in Argentina" (Routledge, 2018) and co-edited "Judicial Politics in Mexico: The Supreme Court and the Transition to Democracy" (Routledge, 2016).

Her recent publications (2024-2025) focus on judicial tenure, judicial activism, gender perspectives in high court rulings, and the role of courts in democratic resilience across Latin America and Eastern Europe. The research demonstrates strong continuity in her interest in judicial politics, with increasing focus on gender dimensions and comparative analysis across regions. Her work often employs quantitative methods to analyze judicial behavior and institutional dynamics.

Scientific Awards:

• Honorable Mention from Lozano Memorial Dissertation Prize

Dr. Castagnola leads several significant research projects, including "Democratic Resilience and the role of Courts in Latin America and Eastern Europe" (2025-2027), a three-year research project examining the role of judges and legal institutions in fostering democratic resilience. She is also conducting research with Prof. Paola Bergallo to develop the first regional dataset of high court rulings analyzing gender perspectives across nine Latin American countries. Additionally, she serves as lead researcher for GQUAL-United Nations (OHCHR) studying women experts in UN human rights mechanisms.

Her current projects include developing a book manuscript titled "The Instability Trap: Purging the High Courts in the Americas" with Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, which provides comprehensive understanding of factors affecting Supreme and Constitutional Court justices' stability in Latin America.