John Polga-Hecimovich is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Naval Academy. His research is broadly focused on the effects of political institutions on democratic stability, policymaking, and governance, especially in Latin America. He has published widely in academic journals in both English and Spanish, and is currently at work turning his doctoral dissertation on the use of executive power in Latin America into a book. Dr. Polga-Hecimovich holds a B.A. in Government and Spanish from Dartmouth College, a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar (Ecuador), and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh. He has also taught at Wake Forest University, the College of William and Mary, and FLACSO-Ecuador, and he has conducted academic fieldwork in Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia.