Maxwell A. Cameron specializes in comparative politics (Latin America), constitutionalism, democracy, and political economy. He is the author or editor of a dozen academic books as well as over fifty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His books include: Democracy and Authoritarianism in Peru, The Peruvian Labyrinth, The Political Economy of North American Free Trade, To Walk Without Fear: The Global Movement to Ban Landmines, Latin America’s Left Turns: Politics, Policies and Trajectories of Change, Democracia en la Region Andina, New Institutions for Participatory Democracy in Latin America, The Making of NAFTA, Strong Constitutions, and most recently, Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom.

Cameron has held visiting positions in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at Notre Dame University (1996) and at Yale University, where he was the Canadian Bicentennial Professor in 2005. In 2006 he served as political advisor to the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Peru. He founded the “Andean Democracy Research Network” to monitor and report on the state of democracy in the Andean region which received funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Martha Piper Fund, SSHRC, IDRC and the Ford Foundation. He participated in a research excellence cluster on the “global challenges to democracy.” He has served as the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions, in which capacity he co-created the Institute for Future Legislators. He has also served as Acting Director of the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and as a Trustee of the Board of the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies. In 2011-12 he was a Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, and in 2013 he was awarded a UBC Killam Teaching Prize. Cameron is a frequent commentator on politics in the media and has provided advice to policymakers on topics such as electoral reform, citizen engagement, and the defense of democracy in Latin America. In his spare time he enjoys kayaking in the Burrard Inlet, skiing at Whistler, diving in Howe Sound, biking around campus, and playing guitar. He blogs about practical wisdom.

Professor Maxwell A. Cameron is jointly appointed with Political Science and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA). In 2020 Cameron was named a Distinguished Fellow by the Canadian Association of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. He was the recipient of the 2022 Guillermo O’Donnell Democracy Award and Lectureship by the Latin American Studies Association for his work on democracy in Latin America.

Comparative Politics|Latin America

Recent Publications

“The Return of Oligarchy: Threats to Representative Democracy in Latin America,” Third World Quarterly, 2021. DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2020.1865794.

“Pathways to Inclusion in Latin America,” in Kapiszewski, Diana, Steve Levitsky, Deborah Yashar, eds. The Inclusionary Turn in Contemporary Latin America. Cambridge University Press, 2021, pp. 401-433.

“Modes of Oligarchic Rule in Latin America,” in Joe Foweraker, Oligarchy in the Americas: Comparing Oligarchic Rule in Latin America and the United States (chapter co-authored with Joe Foweraker). New York: Palgrave (Pivot series), 2021, pp. 33-58.

“Aristotle & The Good Ruler,” Philosophy Now, Issue 133, August/September, 2019, pp. 23-27.

“Critical Dialogue” on Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom and Reclaiming the System, with Lisa Herzog, Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 17, Issue 3, September 2019, pp. 838-842.

“Black Lives Matter: Protesta y división en los Estados (des)Unidos de Trump,” Quehacer. No. 6, Segunda Época, September-November 2020. (Peru).

“From Oligarchic Domination to Neoliberal Governance: The Shining Path and the Transformation of Peru’s Constitutional Order,” in Hillel Soifer and Alberto Vergara, eds. Leaving the Path: Legacies of the Shining Path Conflict in Peru. University of Texas Press, 2019, pp. 79-108.

Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom: Between Rules and Practice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.

“Making Sense of Competitive Authoritarianism: Lessons from the Andes, Latin American Politics and Society, Vol. 60, no 2, Summer 2018, pp. 1-22.

To download publications, click here or here.

 Invited Presentations and Conferences (2020-21)

“Democracy During a Pandemic: Lessons from Latin America,” presented with Veronica Hurtado and Paolo Sosa Villagarcia in a panel on “Understanding the Role of Governmental Context in Strengthening Public Health Response to COVID-19,” Consortium of Universities for Global Health, Virtual Conference, March 14, 2021.

“Lessons from the BC Referendum,” Electoral Reform: Where are we at and what’s next, Panel Discussion sponsored by the Jean-Luc Pepin Research Chair, University of Ottawa, March 11, 2021.

“Poliical Polarization—Will it spread to Canada?” MP Breakfast Connections with Joyce Murray, online Vancouver, January 22, 2021.

“Pandemics and Populism,” Probus Club of Vancouver, November 10, 2020.

“Pandemia, democracia y el bien común: un enfoque desde Canadá,” Segundo Seminario Internacional, Nuevo Orden Político: Democracia versus Pandemia. Instituto de Estudios Republicanos, Mexico, October 10, 2020. (Online).

“Upstream determinants of effective COVID-19 response: concepts, definitions, analysis, evaluation.” Talk in the Policy Salon, Rapid Research Talks on COVID-19 Governance & Policy-making, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, UBC, October 2, 2020. (With Peter Berman and Chris Lovato).

Distinguished Fellow, Canadian Association of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, 2020.

UBC Killam Teaching Prize, 2012-2013.

Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, 2011-2012

President, Vancouver Institute (2012-2013)

Honourary Professor, Universidad San Martin de Porres, Lima, Peru, 2012

Cameron is currently supervising a number of doctoral students working on Latin American politics, including Paolo Sosa, Veronica Hurtado, as well as Master’s students Chuka Ejeckam and Ritica Ramesh.

Personal Weblog|Centre for the Study of Democratic  Institutions|Twitter||http://blogs.ubc.ca/cameron|http://www.democracy.arts.ubc.ca/|@MaxwellCameron|http://democracy.arts.ubc.ca/||UBC Vitae CAMERON May – 2019

POLI220 Introduction to Comparative Politics

A comparative analysis of foreign governments. Specific countries to be covered will vary according to section; consult the brochure issued by the Department.

POLI424 Ethics in Democratic Politics 

Ethics in politics, including citizenship and public service, and practices demanded by the institutions of democracy.

POLI523B Political Thought