Malu Gatto

Malu A. C. Gatto is a postdoctoral researcher (Oberassistentin) at the Department of Political Science of the University of Zurich. Previously, she was at the Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford, where she completed her PhD (2016). From January 2019, Malu will be Assistant Professor (Lecturer) of Latin American Politics at the Institute of the Americas at University College London.
Her current book project tackles the puzzle of why male-dominated legislatures adopt gender quotas and offers the first theory and analysis of gender quota adoptions centered around the behavior of male legislators. More generally, her work explores questions about the gendered dynamics of political behavior, representation, and policy-making with a regional focus on Latin America, especially Brazil. For instance, she is currently developing projects on the impact of Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment to the perception of women in politics in Brazil; the ways in informal recruitment and appointment practices affect women’s political presence; and, the gendered consequences of political dynasties. You can read more about Malu’s ongoing projects and publications here.
Malu was born and raised in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Before starting her doctoral studies, she completed an MSc in Politics Research (2012) from Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford, and a BA (2011) from Barnard College, Columbia University.