​Benjamin Garcia-Holgado, PhD (University of Notre Dame, 2023) joined the department in August 2023. His research and teaching interests are in political regimes, comparative judicial politics, populism, and qualitative methods, with a geographical focus on Latin America. More specifically, he is interested ​in (1) new ways of conceptualizing contemporary autocratization processes (democratic erosion), (2) explaining the strategies populist leaders use to dismantle democracy, (3) showing what strategies political parties, civil society actors, and judges can implement to stop executive encroachment, and (4) case study methodology and qualitative data-gathering techniques. Garcia-Holgado studies these topics with an interdisciplinary approach, combining perspectives from other fields, such as American political development, political theory, comparative historical sociology, and political history.​