Melissa Martinez

Assistant ProfessorHeadshot of Professor Melissa Martinez

Ph.D., University of North Texas

 Areas of Specialization:

  • Human Rights
  • Latin American Politics
  • International Organizations
  • International Law
  • Violent non-state actors

Scholarly Achievements and Activities:

Dr. Melissa Martinez is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs. She received her PhD in Political Science, with concentrations in Comparative Politics and International Relations, from the University of North Texas in 2018. She then took a one year visiting position at Luther College in Iowa where she taught courses in Latin America and human rights. She has co-authored publications in the journals Political Science Quarterly and PS: Political Science and Politics. She specializes in human rights, criminal organizations, and post-conflict societies in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Publications:

  • “Explaining Compliance from the Northern Triangle within the InterAmerican Court of Human rights.” 2023. International Studies. 1-22.
  • “Abuse and Impunity in El Salvador and Mexico” in the Report for Democracy and Governance in Latin America and the Caribbean after Covid-19. 2022. Institute for Comparative and Regional Studies: University of Denver

  • “Gender, Internal Armed Conflict, and High Court Decision Making in Transitioning Societies” 2021. International Studies Quarterly (with Lee Walker and Christopher Pace)

  • “Difficult Commitments: Intercountry Adoption to the US and Accession to the Hague Convention” 2019. Adoption Quarterly (with Marijke Breuning)

  • “How International is Political Science? Patterns of Submission and Publication in the APSR” 2018. PS: Political Science & Politics

  • “Clearing the Pipeline? Gender and Publishing in the APSR” 2018. PS: Political Science & Politics

  • “Do Resource Cursed States Have Lower Levels of Social and Institutional Trust?: Evidence from Africa and Latin America” 2018. (with John Ishiyama and Melda Ozsut)

 

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