Heather Sullivan

Heather Sullivan is an Associate Professor of Government at Hamilton College, specializing in protest politics, state capacity, and financial inclusion in Latin America. She contributes to public discourse as a Good Authority Fellow and integrates fieldwork into her research via collaborations with institutions like The Carter Center.

• Education: Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; B.A. in Government from Elon University.

Her research examines how subnational variations in state capacity influence protest dynamics, including repression, concessions, and symbolic management. She also investigates financial inclusion determinants, emphasizing state capacity and political partisanship. Her pedagogical work includes publications on undergraduate research methods.

Recent publications focus on protest violence in Mexico (Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2019), subnational repression patterns (Political Research Quarterly, 2021), symbolic protest management frameworks (Global Studies Quarterly, 2023), and elite concessions in Mexican protests (Democratization, 2024). These works highlight institutional adaptability and governance challenges in Latin America.

• Scientific Awards: Good Authority Fellow.

She teaches courses in comparative politics, Latin American politics, protest dynamics, and senior seminars on state-citizen relations. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges political science, conflict studies, and public policy.