Lauren McCarthy
PhD in Political Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science
Herter Hall
161 Presidents Drive
Amherst, MA 01003
Lauren McCarthy is a Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where her research focuses on the relationship between law and society in Russia, police and law enforcement institutions, citizen oversight, repressive and authoritarian law, and human trafficking. She is the author of Trafficking Justice: How Russian Police Use New Laws, from Crime to Courtroom, which examines the implementation of human trafficking laws by Russian law enforcement agencies and is based on her award-winning dissertation. Her current projects examine the legal suppression of wartime dissent in Russia and grassroots civilian oversight of police accountability. McCarthy’s research has been supported by institutions including the Fulbright Institute for International Education, the Kennan Institute, and the Aleksanteri Institute, and she is affiliated with research networks focused on post-Soviet politics, law, and security.