Lisa Baldez

Lisa Baldez is Professor of Government and Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies at Dartmouth College. Her research examines the extent to which formal institutional rules shape the possibilities for achieving gender equality, including human rights treaties like the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), gender quota laws requiring political parties to nominate female candidates, and the Equal Rights Amendment in the United States. Baldez's work focuses on gender politics, women's movements, comparative politics, Latin American politics, and U.S. constitutional law and gender. She earned a B.A. cum laude in Politics and Latin American Studies from Princeton University in 1986, an M.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego in 1992, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the same institution in 1997.

Baldez joined Dartmouth College as Associate Professor of Government and Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies in 2003, advancing to full Professor in 2014. Previously, she served as Assistant Professor (1997–2003) and Associate Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. She held the position of Cheheyl Professor and Director of the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning from 2015 to 2018 and chaired the Program in Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies from 2013 to 2015. Her notable awards include the 2015 Victoria Schuck Award for Best Book on Women in Politics and the 2015 Award for Best Book on Human Rights from the American Political Science Association, both for Defying Convention: US Resistance to the UN Treaty on Women’s Rights (Cambridge University Press, 2014). Other honors encompass the Midwest Women’s Caucus for Political Science Outstanding Professional Achievement Award (2019) and the Best Article Award from the APSA Comparative Democratization Section (2004). Key publications also include Why Women Protest: Women’s Movements in Chile (Cambridge University Press, 2002), which has been widely cited, and the co-edited volume Political Women and American Democracy: Critical Perspectives on Women and Politics Research (Cambridge University Press, 2008). Baldez has served as Lead Editor of Cambridge Studies on Gender and Politics since 2012, Founding Co-Editor of Politics & Gender (2004–2007), and on the Editorial Board of the American Political Science Review (2007–2012, 2020–present). Her scholarship has influenced the fields of gender and comparative politics through analyses of quota laws' impacts on legislative qualifications and women's mobilization during democratic transitions.

Professional Email: Lisa.Baldez@dartmouth.edu