Charles H. Blake is Professor of Political Science at JMU. His research examines the dynamics of socioeconomic policies in Latin America & Europe and the pursuit of greater transparency & accountability in public administration.

He has field experience at institutions in Argentina, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and Uruguay. His research and consulting has been supported by the European Union, the Fulbright program, the Organization of American States, the Tinker Foundation, and the U.S. Department of State. With JMU colleague Jessica Adolino, he has co-authored Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries for Congressional Quarterly Press. His research has appeared in various journals, including Comparative Political Studies; Democratization; Journal of Health Policy, Politics, & Law; Journal of Inter-American Studies & World Affairs; The Review of International Political Economy; and Studies in Comparative International Development. He is currently studying the relationship between federalism and mechanisms of horizontal, societal, and vertical accountability.

Dr. Blake received the A.B. from Davidson College & a Ph.D. from Duke University. His teaching interests include comparative politics (especially in Latin America & Europe), policy analysis, & research methods. From 2008 to 2009, he coordinated the American & Global Perspectives portion of JMU's General Education program. He served as the chair of JMU’s Department of Political Science from 2009 through 2016 and received the JMU Alumni Association’s Distinguished Faculty Award in 2012. He served as JMU's Faculty Ombudsperson from 2016 to 2021. Since 2020, he has directed JMU's M.A. in Political Science program as well as its undergraduate Semester in Florence program.