Jennifer McCoy

Jennifer McCoy is a prominent political scientist and expert on democratic processes, polarization, and Latin American politics. She holds several distinguished positions:

Academic Career

Jennifer McCoy is a Regent's Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University.2 She was named to the inaugural class of Distinguished University Professorships at Georgia State University in 2013.3 Her areas of expertise include:

• Democratic resilience and erosion
• Partisan polarization
• Crisis prevention and conflict resolution
• Democracy promotion
• Election processes and international election observation
• Latin American politics

Research Focus

McCoy's current research program focuses on "Polarized Politics," aiming to identify the causes, consequences, and solutions to polarized societies worldwide, including the United States.1 She coined the term "pernicious polarization" to describe political division that creates mutually distrustful "Us vs. Them" camps, undermining democracies' ability to address critical issues.3

Notable Achievements

• Named a 2024 Andrew Carnegie Fellow, one of 28 scholars nationwide selected to explore political polarization and strategies to strengthen American democracy.2
• Nonresident Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.2
• Research Affiliate at CEU's Democracy Institute in Budapest.2
• Served as Director of the Carter Center's Americas Program from 1998 to 2015.1

Publications

Dr. McCoy has authored or edited six books and numerous articles. Some of her notable works include:

• "Polarizing Polities: A Global Threat to Democracy" (2019), co-edited with Murat Somer.2
• "International Mediation in Venezuela" (2012), with Francisco Diez.1

Professional Affiliations

• Life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.2
• Member of the International Women's Forum.2
• Founding co-chair of the Atlanta chapter of the Scholar's Strategy Network.2

Jennifer McCoy's work continues to contribute significantly to the understanding of democratic processes, polarization, and conflict resolution in various global contexts.