Marisa Kellam researches the quality of democracy with a focus on Latin America. Her research links institutional analysis to various governance outcomes in democracies along three lines of inquiry: political parties and coalitional politics; mass electoral behavior and party system change; and democratic accountability and media freedom. She has published her research in various peer-reviewed journals, including the British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, Party Politics, Electoral Studies, Political Communication and Latin American Politics & Society. Originally from Santa Rosa, California, Marisa Kellam earned her Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and spent several years as an assistant professor at Texas A&M University.