Cleo Calimbahin

Cleo Calimbahin, a fourth-year graduate student in Political Science, came to UW-Madison with a Fulbright scholarship after obtaining an MSc from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. She has been teaching Philippine Political Institutions at the University of Asia and the Pacific in the Philippines since 1995, while also involved in non-governmental organizations. Cleo’s interest in the Philippines and Indonesia stems from growing up in the two countries under the Marcos and Suharto dictatorships, an experience that also developed her research interest in election administration. The Scott Kloeck-Jenson award will allow her to look at the causes of election fraud and violence caused by weak political institutions in the Philippines through interviews with current and retired government officials that have been involved in the election commission. The grant will also allow her to pursue some archival research.

Check out Cleo’s post-fellowship report here.