Areas of expertise: African politics; religion, politics, and development; ethnic politics; comparative democratization

Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. is associate professor of political science and a concurrent associate professor in the Keough School of Global Affairs. He also is director of the Ford Family Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

Dowd’s research focuses on African politics and politics in developing countries focusing on the different ways religion and religious ideas are applied to politics. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Senegal. His work has sought to identify societal conditions that prompt religious leaders to encourage civic engagement and social tolerance.

He is author of several articles and the book Christianity, Islam, and Liberal Democracy: Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa (Oxford University Press, June 2015).