University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Regine A. Spector

Professional Title: 

Associate Professor
Director of the Russian, Eurasian and Polish Studies Program

Email: 

Office Hours: 

Fall 2023: Via Zoom - please email

Degree: 

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Bio: 

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  I teach comparative political economy, development, energy and Central Asian politics courses. My current research examines New England energy politics and electric grid reform, and the climate implications of our energy and water use practices.  I work in partnership with other colleagues and students at UMass, and with multiple New England organizations seeking to advance climate-friendly and justice-oriented energy systems. 

My earlier research sought to better understand the creative, contentious, and politically fraught processes that undergird the creation of new market economies. My first book, Order at the Bazaar: Power and Trade in Central Asia (Cornell University Press 2017), examines the bottom-up creation and institutionalization of local marketplace orders in Kyrgyzstan. Among other topics, I have also published articles on the politically contested future of bazaars in Almaty, Kazakhstan and the recomposition of apparel manufacturing in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in Review of International Political Economy, Polity, Europe-Asia Studies, Post-Soviet Affairs, Problems of Post-Communism, and Central Asian Survey. Please see the "Publications" tab for more details on my research.  

Area of Study: 

  • Comparative politics

Curriculum Vitae: 

Download pdf (237.29 KB)

Program: 

  • Political Science