Lucio Rennó

About the Author

Lucio Rennó is a distinguished political scientist and professor at the University of São Paulo, where he specializes in comparative politics, populism, and democratic institutions in Latin America and beyond. With a PhD from the University of Notre Dame, Rennó has dedicated his career to dissecting the dynamics of political extremism and public policy responses to global crises. His research bridges academic rigor with real-world relevance, offering incisive analyses of how populist leaders navigate challenges that test the resilience of democracies. In his acclaimed work, Populists and the Pandemic: How Populists Around the World Responded to COVID-19 (Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy), Rennó examines the varied strategies employed by populist governments during the global health crisis, revealing patterns of authoritarian tendencies and innovative governance amid uncertainty. A frequent contributor to international journals and conferences, Rennó's scholarship continues to shape debates on the future of democracy in an era of polarization and pandemics.