Rate My Professor Doug Hecock

Douglas Hecock is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Bucknell University, where he joined the faculty in 2006 and currently serves as Department Chair. He also holds an affiliation as Faculty in Latin American Studies. Hecock earned his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. His teaching interests include comparative politics, Latin American politics, third world politics, democratization, and the politics of economic development, with courses such as POLS 205 Comparative Politics, POLS 211 Third World Politics, POLS 219 Latin American Politics, and POLS 290 Politics of Economic Development. Hecock's research focuses on comparative politics, particularly in Latin America, examining democratization processes, education reform, and the political economy of foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2015-2016, he received a Fulbright Scholar award to conduct research in Mexico on the politics of FDI, investigating how local political contexts influence investment decisions, such as preferences for border states versus well-governed interior states. This work was affiliated with the Center for Economic Research and Training in Mexico City.

Hecock has published several key articles in prominent journals. Notable works include 'The Political Economy of FDI in Latin America 1986-2006: A Sector-Specific Approach' with Eric M. Jepsen in Studies in Comparative International Development (2014); 'Democracy, Education Reform, and the Mexican Teachers' Union' in Latin American Research Review (2014); 'Running Hot and Cold: Economic Liberalization and Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America by Sector' with Eric M. Jepsen in Latin American Policy (2013); 'Should Countries Engage in a Race to the Bottom? The Effect of Social Spending on FDI' with Eric M. Jepsen in World Development (2013); and 'Electoral Competition, Globalization, and Sub-national Education Spending in Mexico, 1999-2004' in American Journal of Political Science (2006). These publications explore the impacts of globalization, electoral competition, and social policies on FDI and education in Latin America, contributing to understandings of democratization and economic development in the region. Hecock is part of the steering committee for the Bucknell Institute for Public Policy.