Lauren A. McCarthy

Lauren A. McCarthy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was Director of Legal Studies from 2020-2023. She received her Master’s (2004) and PhD (2011) in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on the relationship between law and society in Russia, authoritarian and repressive law, law enforcement institutions, citizen oversight, and the issue of human trafficking. She is the author of Trafficking Justice: How Russian Police Enforce New Laws, from Crime to Courtroom (Cornell University Press, 2015). Her research has been supported by the Fulbright Institute for International Education and the Kennan Institute. Her work on Russian law and the legal system has appeared in Post-Soviet Affairs, Europe-Asia Studies, Demokratizatsiya, Washington Post, PONARS Eurasia, and other outlets. She is also a member of PONARS (Program on New Approaches to Research and Security in Eurasia).