Paolo G. Carozza

Paolo G. Carozza is Professor of Law and concurrent Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. Previously serving as director of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies (2012-2022), he has been a Kellogg Institute faculty fellow since 2003. His academic appointments include the Notre Dame Law School where he directs research initiatives in international studies and human rights.

Carozza's research interests span comparative constitutional law, human rights, law and development, and international law, with particular focus on Latin America, Western Europe, and broader international themes. His work explores foundational principles of human rights law including human dignity, democracy, and subsidiarity, often examining the intersection of Catholic Social Teaching with contemporary legal frameworks. Current research focuses on the relationships between law, human rights, education, and integral human development.

His publications reveal a consistent trajectory examining human rights frameworks across different cultural and legal contexts, with particular attention to Latin American traditions and European constitutional jurisprudence. Recent work shows increasing engagement with digital governance through his service on Meta's Oversight Board, where he addresses content moderation challenges through a human rights lens.

• Order of Merit of Bernardo O'Higgins (Chile's highest state honor for foreign citizens, 2012)
• Reinhold Niebuhr Award (2019) for contributions to social justice
• Notre Dame Faculty Award (2023) for outstanding service
• Member of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters (2024)
• Member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (appointed by Pope Francis, 2016)

Carozza has directed Notre Dame's Center for Civil and Human Rights and its doctoral program in international human rights law for a decade. His leadership extends to the CAROL (Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law) policy and practice lab, where he contributes to research on constitutional adjudication. Significant grants include the Luksic Family Collaboration Grant (2017-18) on global Catholic education and multiple Kellogg Institute working group grants examining Catholic social tradition and human development.