Carl LeVan

Professor Carl LeVan is a full-time faculty member at American University's School of International Service, where he serves as Chair of the Department of Politics, Governance and Economics and teaches courses on African politics, comparative politics, and political theory. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego, an MA from American University, and a BA from George Washington University.

His research focuses on democratization, political institutions, African security, and political theory, with particular expertise in Nigerian politics. LeVan has conducted extensive field research in Nigeria, examining electoral behavior, constitutional design, and security challenges including the Boko Haram insurgency. His work combines survey data, content analysis of thousands of media reports, and multi-state field interviews to analyze political transitions and institutional development.

LeVan's publications reveal consistent engagement with democratic erosion, power-sharing mechanisms, and the political economy of governance in Africa. His recent work increasingly addresses democratic backsliding in 'post-truth' America, demonstrating comparative insights across contexts. He has received significant research funding including Fulbright and Mellon Foundation grants to support this work.

• Co-Leader, APSA Africa Workshop (Mellon Foundation, 2011)
• AU Curriculum Development Award (2011)
• USAID in-kind grant for governance workshop (2009)
• Fulbright dissertation research grant (2003-2004)
• Seymour Melman Fellowship (2001)

As a former legislative director in the U.S. Congress and adviser to Nigeria's National Assembly, LeVan brings practical policy experience to his academic work. He is a founding member and Treasurer of the African Politics Conference Group, serves as Research Fellow at the University of Pretoria's African Centre for Study of the United States, and regularly provides expert commentary for major media outlets including CNN, BBC, and NPR. His current research examines democratic erosion in contemporary America through comparative institutional analysis.