Michael Hendricks will be joining the Department of Politics and Government in August 2019 as an assistant professor in comparative politics with a focus on community development and Latin American politics. Hendricks is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Missouri. He received an M.A. in political science from the University of Missouri in 2016 and a B.A. in international relations from the University of Delaware in 2011.

Michael Hendricks Headshot

Michael Hendricks

Hendricks’ research and teaching interests stem from his experience in the Peace Corps. During his time in the Peace Corps (Nicaragua, 2011-2013; China, 2014) he found himself seeking solutions to assist local populations affected by unfair conditions resulting from globalization and conflicts and finding ways to improve their circumstances.

Hendricks researches protests and mobilizations related to natural resource extraction in Latin America and Africa, as well as the impacts and implications of Chinese investments in Latin America and Africa. His research also examines the variation in peacekeeping effectiveness and deployment patterns, particularly studying how climatic and geographic factors play a role.

Hendricks has secured a number of grants, including a $10,000 grant from the Office of Research at the University of Missouri to conduct survey research in Nicaragua in 2016-2017. His awards also include the Jeffrey D. Byrne Outstanding Graduate Student in Political Science Award, University of Missouri, 2018-2019. Current research projects include a book project titled Understanding Opposition and Support for Resource Extraction and co-authored with Moisés Arce and Marc Polizzi as well as several working paper manuscripts.