Javier Pérez Sandoval wins the 2022 William Anderson Award

Many congratulations to Javier Pérez Sandoval, Pembroke Stipendiary Lecturer in Politics, for winning the 2022 William Anderson Award for the best doctoral dissertation in the field of federalism or intergovernmental relations, state, and local politics. The William Anderson Award is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA). Javier will receive his award at the APSA awards ceremony in Montréal this September.

Javier’s thesis, titled ‘The Origins of Subnational Democracy: How Colonial Legacies and Labour Incorporation Shaped Regime Heterogeneity within Latin American Countries’, asks why it is that some provinces within countries are more democratic than others. Leveraging quantitative and qualitative evidence from Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, his argument is that the colonial crucible created more (or less) advantageous conditions for organized labour to emerge early in some but not all provinces. By shaping the salience of the subnational political arena, colonial legacies and labour dynamics caused democracy to emerge in some but not all subnational units. Javier’s thesis has important implications for the understanding of regime change, labour dynamics, and subnational politics in Latin America and beyond.

Following the award announcement, Javier shares: “I am delighted, honoured, and humbled that my thesis has been recognized with the 2022 William Anderson Award by the American Political Science Association. I cannot express how thankful I am for the constant support of my supervisor, my professors and colleagues at Oxford, and of course, the unwavering love of my friends and family. I see this award as vote of confidence on my research agenda on the causes and consequences of subnational democratic variation, and as an invitation to keep at it. This of course makes me incredibly excited for upcoming projects and the future of my work!”

Javier has also recently won a teaching award at Pembroke, after having been nominated by students for his excellent tutorial style, abundance of constructive feedback, and his willingness to go above and beyond for his students.

Follow Javier on Twitter here and find his website here.