Ernesto Calvo

Dr. Ernesto Calvo is a Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland and Director of the Interdisciplinary Lab for Computational Social Science (iLCSS). He specializes in comparative political institutions, social media dynamics, political representation, and social networks. His work integrates big data, survey experiments, and institutional analysis, addressing issues such as misinformation, electoral strategies, and democratic governance.

Calvo holds a PhD from Northwestern University. His research has been recognized with prestigious awards including the APSA Lawrence Longley Award and the Luebbert Best Article Award. He has authored over 70 publications and several books, including Non-Policy Politics: Rich Voters, Poor Voters, and the Diversification of Electoral Strategies (2019) and Fake News, Burbujas, Trolls y Otros Encantos: Cómo funcionan (para bien y para mal) las redes sociales (2020).

His research interests emphasize the intersection of technology and democracy, particularly how social media shapes political behavior, polarization, and fact-checking efficacy. He explores topics like the impact of partisan cues on health risk perceptions and the role of confirmation frames in reducing misinformation.

Calvo teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on comparative politics, statistical methods, and Latin American politics. His courses focus on theoretically rigorous analysis and original argumentation about political events.

He leads the iLCSS lab, which applies computational methods to study social science phenomena. His work consistently bridges theoretical inquiry with practical implications for democratic institutions and public policy.