معرفی
Gretchen Helmke is the Thomas H. Jackson Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Rochester, serving as Faculty Director of the University of Rochester's Democracy Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago (2000) and has held fellowships at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies (Notre Dame), Harvard’s Weatherhead Center, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Her research focuses on political institutions, judicial politics, democratic norms, and institutional instability in Latin America and the United States. Recent work includes analyzing democratic erosion, selective accountability for corruption in democracies, and the role of informal institutions. Her current book project examines the political dynamics of prosecuting democratically elected leaders for corruption, with a transnational comparative lens.
Helmke co-founded Bright Line Watch, a non-partisan initiative tracking threats to U.S. democracy. Her publications span leading journals like the American Political Science Review and the Journal of Politics, with major books including *Institutions on the Edge* (2017) and *Courts in Latin America* (2011). Her work bridges theory and practice, addressing real-world challenges in democratic governance and institutional resilience.
Key awards include the 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship. Her research has explored topics such as judicial independence, electoral integrity, and the strategic interactions between political actors and legal frameworks.
