Orlando J. Pérez, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair
Anspach Hall 247
phone: (989)774-3442
email: perez1oj@cmich.edu

Vita

Orlando J. Pérez is a professor of political science. He teaches courses in comparative politics, Latin American politics, and U.S.-Latin American relations.

His conference presentations and his publications have focused on democratization, elite theory, authoritarianism, public opinion, US-Panama relations, and civil-military relations.
He is a recipient of a grant from the United States Institute of Peace for his project studying the transformation of civil-military relations in post-authoritarian Central America.

He has carried out field research in several countries of the region, including Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Venezuela.

As a consultant, he has worked on public opinion surveys, democratization, civil-military relations, and corruption issues for USAID and the UN Development Program.

His work has appeared in the Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, Hemisphere, South Eastern Latin Americanist, Political Science Quarterly, and Journal of Political and Military Sociology, among a number of chapters in edited volumes. He is the editor of Post-Invasion Panama: The Challenges of Democratization in the New World Order.

He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently involved as Co-Coordinator for Central America (with Ricardo Cordova Macias of FUNDAUNGO-El Salvador) for the Project on Security in North America, Central America and the Caribbean funded by the Ford Foundation and Woodrow Wilson Center. 

Additionally, he is a member of the Scientific Support Group for the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) at Vanderbilt University http://www.lapopsurveys.org/.

His current research focuses on civil-military relations in Latin America, crime and security issues in Central America, as well as survey research on democratic political culture. With Angela Haddad, Department of Sociology, he is working on a comparative project examining critical thinking and global literacy skills in Cuba, Panama and the United States.

Dr. Perez is serving as president of the Midwest Association for Latin American Studies (www.malasnet.org).

Education

  • Ph.D. (1996)

    University of Pittsburgh (1989-1996)

    Political Science

  • Master of Arts (1992)

    University of Pittsburgh (1989-1996)

    Political Science

  • Bachelor of Arts (1989)

    Florida International University (1987-1989)

    Political Science

  • Bachelor of Science (1985)

    University of Miami (1983-1985)

    Biochemistry

Fields of Specialization

  • Comparative Politics
  • Latin American Politics
  • Central America and Panama
  • Elite Political Culture
  • Processes of Democratization
  • Political and Electoral Behavior

  • U.S. - Latin American Relations