Leslie Elliott Armijo, Ph.D.

Welcome to the website for Leslie Elliott Armijo (Ph.D. UC Berkeley, Political Science),

Visiting Scholar, Portland State University, Oregon

Leslie's email: Leslie.Armijo@mindspring.com

Last updated: July 2006

My research on "Democracy and Economic Reform" suggests that transitions to mass electoral democracy often have net positive implications for national economic management, particularly over the medium term. This is contrary to much commonly-accepted wisdom.

My research on "Global Governance" convinces me of the critical links between participation in international governance structures and the distribution of risks and rewards in the international economy. Consequently, I am skeptical of blame-the-victim analyses of international poverty and financial contagion.

I doubt that the most pressing international challenges of the 21^st Century—global warming, maintenance of a mostly-open world trading system, managing security conflicts in Asia and the Middle East, and addressing global inequalities in a sustainable way—can be met by interstate consultations limited to participation by the major wealthy industrial democracies, the G-7, even with the addition of Russia. Only solutions negotiated with the active cooperation of countries such as Brazil, India, China, South Africa, and Indonesia will be sufficiently legitimate to hold.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I am committed to the goal of economically informed analysis of the emotive issues of global justice and equity—and equally convinced of the necessity of politically informed debate on ostensibly "technical" subjects such as the structures, institutions, and rules of the international financial architecture.

Here is my c.v., listing my degrees, experience, and past publications: Curriculum Vitae.

This website contains or will contain information on my research, teaching, and favorite web links.