Kirk Bowman
Professor
- Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
- Development Studies Program
Overview
Dr. Kirk Bowman, Regents' Entrepreneur, Full Professor and Rise Up & Care Term Chair in Global Development & Identity, joined the Georgia Tech faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs in 1998 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2004 and Professor in 2014. He directs study abroad programs in Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay. A specialist in Latin American politics and development, he is author of Militarization, Democracy, and Development: The Perils of Praetorianism in Latin America (Pennsylvania University Press, 2002), Peddling Paradise: The Politics of Tourism in Latin America (Lynne Rienner 2013), Lessons from Latin America: Innovations in Politics, Culture, and Development (with Felipe Arocena, University of Toronto Press, 2014), and Reimagining Global Philanthropy (with Jon Wilcox, Columbia University Press, 2021) and numerous journal articles, book chapters, and reference chapters. His current research projects include a book on soccer and global politics and using experimental design to test the effect of local change agents and youth high performance addictions in marginalized neighborhoods of the Global South. He has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, the Ford Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, among others, and was a Fulbright Scholar. He was the University System of Georgia Excellence of Teaching 2007 recipient and the 2008 Carnegie-Case Professor of the Year for the state of Georgia.
Dr. Bowman is the co-founder and director of the international NGO Rise Up & Care (www.riseup.care). Rise Up & Care employs an innovative model of international community development that combines global development research, high-level performance organizations in the global south to transform youth, powerful documentary films by top local directors, and children's books illustrated by local street artists. Bowman co-produced six feature documentary films in Brazil (www.WomenofEarthfilm.com, www.badbirdiemanmovie.com, www.jongofevermovie.com). He has been quoted in press, including The Washington Post, The CSMonitor, Globo, and The National Post (Toronto). Bowman currently leads a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) at Georgia Tech for students from various majors to participate in global development through documentary film, children's books, and targeted global philanthropy.
Bowman directs the Vertically Integrated Project in Soccer, Community, Innovation & Politics (SCIP) that leverages the beautiful game to understand societal forces and to empower organizations that use soccer to transfrom marginalized communities. The SCIP VIP organizes and hosts Soccer Con every 2 years (www.AtlSoccerCon.org). See www.ScoutHeroes.com and www.RiseUp.care for more information.
Interests
- Comparative Politics: Regional Studies
- Cultural and Ethical Awareness
- Economic Development
- Globalization: Political Economy and Governance
Focuses:
- Latin America and Caribbean
- Inequality and Social Justice
- International Development
- Regional Development
Courses
- INTA-1050: The World Today
- INTA-2001: Careers In Intl Affairs
- INTA-2220: Govt& Pol-Western Europe
- INTA-2241: Govt Pol Soc-Lat America
- INTA-2698: Research Assistantship
- INTA-3203: Comparative Politics
- INTA-3241: Latin American Politics
- INTA-3242: Soccer & Global Politics
- INTA-3303: Pol Economy-Development
- INTA-3321: Pol Econ-Europe Integrat
- INTA-4241: Democracy-Third World
- INTA-4340: Latin American Economics
- INTA-4500: INTA Pro-Seminar
- INTA-4811: Special Topics
- INTA-4812: Special Topics
- INTA-6202: Comparative Politics
- INTA-8000: Sci,Tech&Int'l Affairs I
- INTA-8001: Sci,Tech&Intl Affairs II
- INTA-8813: Special Topics
Publications
Recent Publications
Books
- Reimagining Global Philanthropy: The Community Bank Model of Social Development
Date: July 2021
- Lessons from Latin America: Innovations in Politics, Culture, and Development
Date: September 2014
Journal Articles
- Critical Junctures and American Exceptionalism: Explaining Major League Soccer’s Self-Imposed Limitations
In: Soccer and Society
Date: 2021
- Policy Choice, Social Structure and International Tourism in Buenos Aires, Havana, and Rio de Janeiro
In: Latin American Research Review [Peer Reviewed]
Date: October 2013
All Publications
Books
- Reimagining Global Philanthropy: The Community Bank Model of Social Development
Date: July 2021
- Lessons from Latin America: Innovations in Politics, Culture, and Development
Date: September 2014
- Peddling Paradise: The Politics of Tourism in Latin America
Date: April 2013
- Peddling Paradise: The Politics of Tourism in Latin America
Date: 2013
Drawing on extensive fieldwork in eight countries between 1996 and 2011, Bowman offers a rich comparative analysis and compelling explanations for both failed policies and impressive successes in using tourism to foster development in Latin ... - LESSONS FROM LATIN AMERICA: INNOVATIONS IN POLITICS, CULTURE, AND DEVELOPMENT
Date: 2010
- Militarization, Democracy, and Development: The Perils of Praetorianism in Latin America
Date: 2004
- The Perils of Praetorianism: Militarization, Development, and Democracy
Date: August 2002
- Global Cities and Policy Innovation
- Lessons from Latin America: Inovation in Politics, Culture, Development
Journal Articles
- Critical Junctures and American Exceptionalism: Explaining Major League Soccer’s Self-Imposed Limitations
In: Soccer and Society
Date: 2021
- Policy Choice, Social Structure and International Tourism in Buenos Aires, Havana, and Rio de Janeiro
In: Latin American Research Review [Peer Reviewed]
Date: October 2013
- Noisy Regimes, Causal Processes, and Democratic Consolidation: The Case of Costa Rica
In: The Latin Americanist, [Peer Reviewed]
Date: March 2007
- Measuring Political Democracy: Data Adequacy, Measurement Error, and Central America.
In: Comparative Political Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: October 2005
- Pura Vida:Using Study Abroad to Engage Undergraduate Students in Comparative Politics Research
In: PS: Politics and Society [Peer Reviewed]
Date: January 2005
- From Popular Medicine to Medical Populism: Doctors, Healers, and Public Power in Costa Rica,
In: The Latin Americanist,
Date: 2005
- J. Patrice McSherry's Predatory States: Operation Condor and Covert War in Latin America
In: New Political Science: a journal of politics and culture
Date: 2005
- The Causes and Consequences of Electoral Reform
In: Electoral Law Journal
Date: 2003
- Will Vote for Food? Regime-Type and Food Consumption in the Developing World.
In: Politics and Policy [Peer Reviewed]
Date: December 2002
- Guest Commentary on 2001 Nicaraguan Elections
In: Latin American Advisor
Date: October 2001
- The Public Battles over Militarisation and Democracy in Honduras, 1954-1963
In: Journal of Latin American Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: August 2001
- Did Elite Compromise and Consensus Lead to Democratic Consolidation in Costa Rica? Evidence from the 1950s
In: Revista de Historia [Peer Reviewed]
Date: June 2001
- The Military and Guardian Democracy in Contemporary Guatemala
In: Journal of Third World Studies
Date: 2001
- American Government: Freedom and Power
Date: 2000
- New Scholarship on Costa Rican Exceptionalism
In: Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs
Date: 1999
- Taming the Tiger in Honduras
In: Latin American Studies Forum
Date: 1999
- “Demanding Democracy: Reform and Reaction in Costa Rica and Guatemala, 1870s-1950s,
In: Hispanic American Historical Review
Date: 1999
- Should the Kuznets Effect Be Relied on to Induce Equalizing Growth
In: World Development [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 1997
- Taming the Tiger: Militarization and Democracy in Latin America
In: Journal of Peace Research [Peer Reviewed]
Date: August 1996
- The Border as Locator and Innovator of Vice
In: Journal of Borderlands Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 1994
- Capitalist Development and Democracy
In: Washington Report on the Hemisphere,
Date: 1993
- Sustainable Tourism and State Capacity: Keep it local, simple, and fuzzy,
In: International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research [Peer Reviewed]
Chapters
- Militaries and Modern States: The Comparative Evidence from Costa Rica and Honduras?”
Date: 2013
- El fenóneno de la internacionalización de PyMes: Que se puede aprender del mundo del deporte
Date: 2010
- Battle for the Heart of the Heavyweight: Anti-Americanism in Brazil
Date: 2006
- Measuring Political Democracy: Data Adequacy, Measurement Error, and Central America
Date: October 2005
- The U.S.-Mexican Border as Locator of Innovation and Vice
Date: 2005
- Democracy on the Brink: José Figueres and the Elections of 1958
Date: 2004
- Belize
Date: 1999
- Republic of Costa Rica
Date: 1999
- The Republic of Honduras
Date: 1999
- Urbanization and Political Instability in the Middle East
Date: 1997
Working Papers
- Catch Up, Convergence, and Growth in Latin America
Date: 2001
- Economic Convergence and Trade Integration in Latin America
Date: 2001
- Does Area Matter? Regional Explanations for Economic Growth Performance in LDCs
Date: 2000
- Global Cities and Policy Innovation
Internet Publications
- Beach Blanket Bushy