Dr Kerstin Hamann

Kerstin Hamann (Ph.D. Washington University) is Pegasus Professor in the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs (SPSIA) at the University of Central Florida, Orlando. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science, an M.A. in Political Science, and an M.A. in West European Studies (all from Washington University). She twice served as Vice President of the American Political Science Association (APSA). Hamann was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the APSA Section on Political Science Education and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Political Science Education. She also served as SPSIA Director (2011-2021). She is the recipient of numerous campus awards for research, teaching, and service.

Hamann has been an active member of several professional associations and has chaired and served on numerous APSA and SPSA committees and has served on governing bodies of these associations. She serves on the editorial board of multiple academic journals.

Hamann’s research interests focus broadly on comparative politics, especially politics in Western Europe with a focus on organized labor and Spanish politics. Much of her research seeks to advance our understanding of the changing role of organized labor in Western Europe. Her recent research has analyzed the causes and consequences of union inclusion and exclusion in reforming policies in Western Europe; this research project considers the political determinants of including unions in policy reforms through social pacts as well as the consequence of union exclusion resulting in general strikes. Her books include The Politics of Industrial Relations: Labor Unions in Spain and Parties, Elections, and Policy Reforms in Western Europe: Voting for Social Pacts, with J. Kelly; and Democracy and Institutional Development: Spain in Comparative Theoretical Perspective, co-edited with B.N. Field. She has published widely in academic journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Comparative Politics, Political Studies, West European Politics, Party Politics, British Journal of Industrial Relations, European Journal of Industrial Relations, and others.

Hamann has also published extensively in the field of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, with a focus on online education, assessment, and most recently, on cognitive factors linked to student success in higher education. This research program includes her book Assessment in Political Science, co-edited with M. Deardorff and J. Ishiyama, as well as numerous articles and book chapters.