Leonardo Villalón

Professor University of Florida

  • Gainesville FL

Leonardo A. Villalón is a professor of political science and African studies.

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Biography

Leonardo A. Villalón is a professor of political science and African studies, and former dean of the International Center. He is also founder and coordinator of the UF Sahel Research Group. His research specialization is on contemporary African politics and in particular on the countries of the Sahel region of West Africa: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. He has carried out research on numerous topics, including Islam and politics, religion and educational reform, democratization and elections, social change and institutional reform, and the impact of climate change on the region

Areas of Expertise

West Africa
Post-Colonial Studies
Economics
Developing World
Africa
Emerging Markets
Islam and Muslim Studies
Religion & Politics

Media Appearances

UF Summer study abroad trips canceled, moved to end of Summer

The Independent Florida Alligator  online

2021-03-08

The UF International Center is deciding on a case-by-case basis whether the more than 500 study abroad programs currently available should operate, UFIC Dean Leonardo Villalón said. He said some programs have been or will be canceled because they haven’t fulfilled their enrollment quotas.

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University of Florida is a top producer of Fulbright U.S. Scholars

UF News  online

2021-03-02

“Despite the changes brought about by the pandemic, the Fulbright mission remains the same and the International Center continues to support faculty and staff interested in exploring international exchange and collaborations through Fulbright”, said Dr. Leonardo Villalón, Dean of the International Center. “We feel honored to be a part of Fulbright’s 75 Anniversary Celebration.”

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A Democratic Breakthrough for Niger?

World Politics Review  online

2021-02-18

Voters in Niger will return to the polls this Sunday for a runoff election that will determine outgoing President Mahamadou Issoufou’s successor. The subsequent transition will mark the first time in the country’s history that one elected president replaces another.

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Articles

The Undoing of a Semi-authoritarian Regime: The Term Limit Debate and the Fall of Blaise Compaoré in Burkina Faso

The Politics of Challenging Presidential Term Limits in Africa

Daniel Eizenga and Leonardo A. Villalón

2020-04-03

After twenty-seven years in power, a wave of popular protest against an expected effort to change constitutional term limit provisions forced President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso to resign and flee the country in late 2014. In this chapter, we argue that the surprising collapse of Compaoré’s seemingly well-entrenched semi-authoritarian regime was the outcome of long processes of institutional debates and incremental reform, which ultimately undermined Compaoré’s control.

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