Carmen Wintergerst

Dr. Carmen Wintergerst is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Science, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg since February 2025. She holds a doctorate in political science (summa cum laude, 2025) focusing on executive power consolidation strategies in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Her research emphasizes autocratization dynamics, civil-military relations, and Asian political systems.

Her work spans comparative politics and regional studies, with notable contributions to understanding democratic backsliding in Indo-Pacific Asia. She collaborates with Prof. Dr. Aurel Croissant on projects analyzing authoritarian mechanisms in Southeast Asia, including Laos' party-military nexus and political party functions in the region.

Publications include a 2025 dissertation on autocratic expansion models and peer-reviewed articles in the Asian International Studies Review. Upcoming publications explore Laos' coercive apparatus and Southeast Asian political parties from a regime perspective.

Dr. Wintergerst’s affiliations include the Institute of Political Science and collaboration within Prof. Croissant’s research team. She advises no listed students but contributes to academic discourse through rigorous regional comparative analysis.