American and Comparative Constitutionalism, Public Law, and Democratic Backsliding. Home Biography Education Research Publications Teaching Media CV CONTACT paza[at]gwu.edu VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Paz Avila, Ph.D. BIOGRAPHY Dr. Paz Avila is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at The George Washington University. As a political scientist and legal scholar, her interdisciplinary research explores the resilience and legitimacy of constitutional systems across democratic and hybrid regimes, with a regional focus on Latin America. Dr. Avila has served as a law clerk at the Constitutional Court of Ecuador, a Visiting Professional at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica, and a Visiting Scholar at Boston College Law School. She previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin, in both the Department of Government and the School of Law, as well as several universities across Latin America. EDUCATION Ph.D. in Government — The University of Texas at Austin M.A. in Government — The University of Texas at Austin LL.M. in Legal Theory — New York University School of Law RESEARCH Dr. Avila’s interdisciplinary research explores the resilience and legitimacy of constitutional systems across democratic and hybrid regimes, with a regional focus on Latin America. Her work draws on comparative constitutional law and political science to examine how constitutions endure, erode, or collapse under political pressure. PUBLICATIONS UNDER REVIEW The Performance Trap: A Novel Theory of Constitutional Legitimacy in Fragile Democracies The Nuclear Option: Why Legislative Crises Drive Constitutional Mortality in Latin America WORKING PAPERS Why Some Constitutional Replacements Fail and Others Succeed: A Comparative Analysis from Latin America Presidential Accountability and Prosecution: A Comparative Analysis of Latin America and the United States BOOK PROJECT A Theory of Constitutional Legitimacy: The Foundations of Constitutional Strength SHORTER ARTICLES & BOOK REVIEWS The Dilemma Between Constitutional Change and Constitutional Veneration 34 Díkaion, no. 1, 2025. Reviewing Richard Albert, Constitutional Amendments: Making, Breaking, and Changing Constitutions (2019). In Spanish. Mapping Constitutional Dismemberment Nat’l L. Sch. India Rev. (2021). Reviewing Richard Albert, Constitutional Amendments: Making, Breaking, and Changing Constitutions (2019). PUBLICATIONS IN SPANISH The Rights of Indigenous People: Between Diversity and International Human Rights 28 Am. U. Int’l L. Rev. 943 (2013). Freedom of Expression: Debates, Scope and New Challenges OHCHR & UNESCO 2011. TEACHING • Constitutional Law & Politics I • Comparative Constitutionalism • Constitutional Principles MEDIA INTERVIEWED The GW Hatchet On the Justice Department probes into antisemitism and diversity in higher education, 2026. FEATURED The Leaf Curated newsletter on constitutionalism by Richard Albert, 2025. INTERVIEWED Houston Chronicle On the representation of women of color in politics, 2023. INTERVIEWED Ecuavisa Ecuador TV network commentary on a Constitutional Court ruling, 2021. CURRICULUM VITAE Download CV PHOTOS