Rate My Professor Rubén Ruiz-Rufino

Dr Rubén Ruiz-Rufino is a Reader in Comparative Politics in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. He holds a PhD from the Juan March Institute (2005), an MA in Social Sciences from the Juan March Institute (2001), an MSc in Social and Political Theory from the University of Edinburgh (1999), and a Law Degree from Universidad de Granada (1998). His research focuses on measuring the functioning of political institutions, the effects of political representation on regime stability, electoral misconduct, and the political consequences of globalisation and economic shocks such as financial bailouts in emerging and established democracies.

He joined King’s College London in 2013 as Lecturer in Comparative Politics, advancing to Senior Lecturer in 2018 and Reader in 2021. Previously, he was García Pelayo Research Fellow at the Center for Political and Constitutional Studies (2011-2013), Juan de la Cierva Fellow at the Institute of Politics and Public Goods (CSIC) (2008-2011), and Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute (2007-2008). Ruiz-Rufino has received the British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship (£160,000, 2022) and the Lawrence Longley Award for Best Article (2018). His major publications include Democracy under Strain: The Political Effects of Financial Bailouts on Citizens and Parties (Oxford University Press, 2025); co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Comparative Political Institutions (Routledge, 2015); “Financial Bailouts and the Decline of Establishment Politics” (Electoral Studies, 2021); “The Effect of Alternation in Power on Electoral Intimidation in Democratising Regimes” (Journal of Peace Research, 2020, with Sarah Birch); and “Tying Incumbents’ Hands: The Effects of Election Monitoring on Electoral Outcomes” (Electoral Studies, 2018, with Nasos Roussias). He contributes to the field through teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses on comparative politics and political economy, PhD supervision, and membership in research groups such as the Comparative Politics Research Group.