I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and also hold a M.A. in Economics from UC Berkeley.

My research centers on authoritarian politics and institutions, and game-theoretic approaches to the study of dictatorship. My book project examines how executive constraints become established in dictatorships, formally within state constitutions and informally within presidential cabinets. I also have other work on leadership succession, ruling parties, electoral authoritarianism, and coup proofing. I have a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and am interested in finding new and creative ways to collect data on authoritarian institutions.

I am one of the co-organizers (with Peter Lorentzen and Andrew Little) of the "Undemocratic Political Economy" mini-conference at the 2018 Western Political Science Association Meeting in San Francisco. Check out the conference website and schedule here. 

Contact:
ameng@virginia.edu
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Office: S284 Gibson Hall
University of Virginia
Department of Politics
1540 Jefferson Park Ave
Charlottesville, VA 22903