Barry Levitt

Dr. Barry Levitt serves as Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University (FIU). His academic career spans multiple leadership roles including Director of Graduate Programs in Political Science and Director of Academic Programs at FIU's Latin American and Caribbean Center. Previously, he served as Co-Director of Latin American Studies at Emory University.

Levitt's research expertise centers on comparative politics with focus areas in political culture, political institutions, and Latin American politics. His scholarly work examines the dynamics of 'new' democracies, particularly investigating how formal rules of the game like electoral laws and constitutions constrain political elites' behavior. His current research focuses on citizens' trust and distrust in institutions across Latin America, alongside disaster politics and policy in the Americas.

His most notable publication is the book Power in the Balance: Presidents, Parties, and Legislatures in Peru and Beyond (University of Notre Dame Press, 2012). Levitt has also published in prominent journals including Latin American Politics and Society, Latin American Research Review, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, and Politics & Policy.

• Fellow, Florida International University's Extreme Events Institute (2019-2021)
• Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation-funded collaborative research program on disaster policy and politics in the Americas (2020-2023)

At FIU, Levitt teaches undergraduate courses on comparative politics, Latin American politics, and political violence, while offering graduate seminars on public opinion/political culture, political institutions, area studies, Foundations of Political Science, and core Comparative Politics. His current research program examining disaster politics represents an extension of his expertise in institutions and political trust within emerging democracies.