Fr. Bob Dowd, CSC

Fr. Dowd is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Ford Family Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity. A graduate of Notre Dame, Dowd received his doctorate in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research interests include African politics, ethnic politics, and the relationship between religion, political institutions, national identity, and human development. He is author of Christianity, Islam and Liberal Democracy: Lessons from sub-Saharan Africa. He is currently focusing on research concerning religion and the integration of migrants/refugees in Europe and North America and the effects of faith-based schools on citizenship and civic engagement in Africa. The Ford Family Program, founded by Dowd in 2008, is part of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies in the Keough School of Global Affairs. Its mission is to integrate teaching, research and grassroots community engagement in parts of the world where extreme poverty continues to be a major challenge. Through the Ford Program, Notre Dame forges strategic partnerships with institutions of higher education, non-governmental organizations, governmental organizations, and religious institutions in various parts of the world.