Lauran Feist Dondiz ‘17

This profile was current as of 2017, when she was part of the on-campus Kellogg community.

My senior thesis examined the mechanisms by which Argentine presidents seek to undermine strong opposition governors, focusing on President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's use of political endorsements to influence gubernatorial elections. I was motivated by questions such as: Do the checks inherent in a federal system hold up in the face of ambitious presidents? If presidents can successfully manipulate state politics and undermine opposition governors, what are the consequences for Argentine democracy?

During the fall of 2015, I was on an academic leave of absence to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I studied at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella and conducting fieldwork for my senior thesis. My senior thesis research was made possible through the generous support of a Kellogg/Kroc Undergraduate Research Grant, a UROP Summer Comprehensive Grant, and a Strake Grant through the Department of Political Science. In the summer of 2015 I also studied abroad in Chile at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso through a Summer Language Abroad Grant. I interned for the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service at the U.S. Embassy to Argentina through the Kellogg Institute’s Summer Internship Program the summer after my sophomore year.