Political Science · Institutions · Methodology

Rodrigo Martins

Political scientist, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Political Science at USP and at INCT-Participa.

USP INCT-Participa JUDE STF Ideal points

I hold a BA in Social Sciences and an MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of São Paulo, with a doctoral research period in the Department of Methodology at the London School of Economics. I was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Political Science at the Federal University of Pernambuco.

I am a professor and postdoctoral researcher at USP and INCT-Participa, as well as an affiliated professor at UFPE. I am also a member of JUDE (Judiciary and Democracy), a research group dedicated to the study of judicial institutions and their consequences for democracy.

I study political institutions, with an emphasis on the Judiciary and especially the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF). I am also interested in the political behavior of institutional actors, in how ideological orientations structure preferences, decisions and coalitions, and in quantitative research methods. My research agenda combines institutional theory and quantitative analysis, with a focus on ideal point estimation and quantitative text analysis.

Research

Research agenda

Judiciary and judicial behavior

I study judicial institutions, especially the STF, and how professional trajectories, appointments and institutional profiles help explain decisions and internal divisions within courts.

Constitution-making

I analyze processes of institutional design, with attention to Brazil's 1987-88 Constituent Assembly, systems of government and disputes over democratic rules.

Electoral justice

I investigate the relationship between political competition and electoral justice institutions, including adjudication, litigation, challenges and dispute resolution.

Quantitative methods

I conduct research with R, scraping, organization, analysis and visualization of political data, with an emphasis on reproducible routines.

Ideal point estimation

Models for mapping alignments, divisions and positions of political actors.

Quantitative text analysis

Computational methods for studying speeches, votes, decisions and political documents.

Academic work

Selected publications

Articles and chapter

Book chapter · 2025

Electoral Justice and Dispute Resolution

Gabriela Tarouco and Rodrigo Martins. The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Integrity. Oxford University Press.

A chapter on electoral justice and dispute resolution as central dimensions of electoral governance and electoral integrity. It discusses how different institutional arrangements process electoral conflicts, adjudicate claims and shape incentives for parties, candidates, courts and electoral management bodies.

Summary Chapter

Article · 2022

Does the Before Influence the After? Career Paths, Nominations, and Votes of the STF Justices

Rogério Arantes and Rodrigo Martins. Brazilian Political Science Review, 16(3), e0005.

The article tests whether the professional trajectories of Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF) justices influenced their votes in the Ação Penal 470 trial, known as Mensalão. Using a typology of careers, it relates legal expertise, patterns of professional advancement and previous institutional ties to votes to convict or acquit.

Summary Article Data and scripts Research note

Article · 2022

Estimating Ideal Points from UN General Assembly Sponsorship Data

Rafael Mesquita, Rodrigo Martins and Pedro Seabra. International Interactions, 48(6), 1233-1252.

A research note that estimates ideal points from United Nations General Assembly sponsorship data. It argues that sponsorship and co-sponsorship capture preferences before the formal vote and reveal a dimension associated with states' orientation toward multilateralism.

Summary Article Data and scripts

Methods article · 2021

Mapeando comportamentos com estimação de pontos ideais

Rodrigo Martins. Revista Política Hoje, 30(1), 339-394.

A didactic introduction to ideal point estimation, illustrated with roll-call voting data from the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies in 2019. The article connects spatial voting theory, preference measurement and substantive interpretation of ideological maps.

Summary Article

Theses

PhD dissertation · 2018

Pontos de Divergência: Supremo Tribunal Federal e comportamento judicial

Rodrigo Martins. University of São Paulo.

A study of the individual behavior of Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF) justices in constitutional review cases decided by the collegiate court. The dissertation uses ideal point estimation to map disagreements among justices and assess the role of presidential nomination, professional trajectories and other characteristics in the formation of alignments on the Court.

Summary Dissertation

MA thesis · 2013

O Processo Decisório na Assembleia Nacional Constituinte 1987-88: a Escolha do Sistema de Governo