معرفی
Jana Morgan is Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, where she conducts research on how economic, ethnoracial, and gendered marginalization undermine democratic norms, institutions, and outcomes across the Americas. Her work examines the relationship between inequality, exclusion, and democratic governance, with particular focus on Latin America and the United States. Morgan co-directs the AmericasBarometer survey in the Dominican Republic and is active in scholarly discussions about political, economic, and ethnoracial inequalities.
Morgan's research interests center around the political causes and consequences of inequality and marginalization. She analyzes how limited political representation and persistent economic and social inequality distort political institutions in formally democratic regimes. Her scholarship demonstrates how the failure of political parties to provide representation undermines public support for egalitarian policies, weakens partisan ties, and threatens the maintenance of party systems. She has extensively studied how inequalities that marginalize historically excluded groups reduce trust in the state, weaken democratic values, and jeopardize democratic processes. Morgan approaches her work through a lens that connects structural inequalities to democratic outcomes, emphasizing how weaknesses in democracy's practical functioning have significant costs for ordinary citizens and democratic stability.
Morgan's publications reveal consistent thematic threads exploring representation, inequality, and democratic governance. Her work spans comparative politics, American politics, and Latin American studies, demonstrating how structural inequalities shape political attitudes, institutional trust, and policy outcomes. The research shows particular attention to how ethnoracial hierarchies, economic disparities, and gender dynamics interact with political institutions to produce exclusionary democratic practices. Her recent work increasingly examines the connections between economic inequality and political representation in the United States context, while maintaining a strong comparative focus on Latin America.
- Van Cott Award from the Latin American Studies Association
- Gladys Kammerer Award from the American Political Science Association
- Honorable Mention, Fernando Coronil Award from the Venezuelan Studies Section
- Russell Sage Foundation Fellowship
- Pew Foundation Support
- Fulbright-Hays Program Support
- Kellogg Institute Fellowship at Notre Dame
- Wilson Center Fellowship
Morgan's research has been supported by major external funding sources including the Russell Sage Foundation, Pew Foundation, and Fulbright-Hays program. She frequently presents her work at universities, think tanks, and government agencies across the United States and Latin America, with her scholarship featured in both academic publications and popular media. As an educator, Morgan teaches courses on comparative politics, democracy, political parties, Latin American politics, qualitative methods, and the politics of marginalization including gender and race/ethnicity. She approaches teaching as a dynamic process that challenges students to think analytically about power and politics while fostering independent growth and discovery.
Morgan co-directs the AmericasBarometer survey in the Dominican Republic, which provides critical data on political attitudes and behaviors across the Americas. Her research team collaborates with scholars throughout Latin America, particularly in the Dominican Republic where she has conducted extensive fieldwork. Morgan is also active in mentoring initiatives for faculty and early career researchers within the university and discipline, creating spaces for careful thinking and independent growth.
