Matthew Ingram, PhD

Specialization: Public Law; Latin America; Research Methods

Personal Webpage : http://www.mattingram.net/

Matthew C. Ingram's research examines justice sector reforms, judicial behavior, and violence in Latin America.

Holding a law degree (2006) and a PhD in political science (2009) from the University of New Mexico, Ingram studies the political origins of institutional change and judicial behavior in the region's justice systems, focusing on sub-national courts in Brazil and Mexico. He draws also on a family history in Mexico (dual citizen, U.S. and Mexico), extensive fieldwork in Latin America, and seven years of professional experience in law enforcement in California. Ingram's academic work has appeared in several peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes. His book, Crafting Courts in New Democracies: The Politics of Subnational Judicial Reform in Brazil and Mexico (Cambridge University Press, 2016), examines the causal role of ideas in shaping local court reforms in Latin America's two largest democracies and markets. The book combines statistical analysis and in-depth qualitative work, drawing on two years of fieldwork and more than 100 interviews with judges and other legal professionals.

Ingram's research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, and the Fulbright Commission.

Prior to arriving at Rockefeller, Ingram held post-doctoral fellowships at the UC San Diego's Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies (2009-2010) and Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute (2011-2012). He was also an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (2010-2011). In 2012-2013, Ingram will offer courses in Comparative Judicial Politics, Comparative Criminal Procedure, and Latin American Politics. Prof. Ingram, born and raised in Mexico, speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese.