#  Aaron Watanabe 

 



#  Welcome! 

 



 

I am a PhD student in Harvard's Department of Government, focusing on comparative politics. My dissertation examines the circumstances under which so-called populist politicians cause democracies to break down. My broad interests include parties, institutions, political regimes, and elite politics. I have conducted fieldwork in Brazil, Italy, and Peru.

I have served as a teaching assistant for classes in comparative politics and research design as well as advised undergraduate concentrators and honors thesis writers for the Government Department.

Beginning in June 2023, I will be conducting fieldwork abroad through 2024 with support from a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad grant and Harvard Sheldon traveling fellowship.

Prior to the PhD program, I received my BA in Government from Harvard in 2014 and an MPhil in Latin American Studies from the University of Oxford in 2016, where I was a Clarendon Scholar and member of St Antony's College.

Beyond the Government Department, I ran for Harvard's the cross country and track teams (2010-2012) and served as a senior resident tutor in Leverett House (2017-2023).



 



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