Comparative Politics

Kimya

Gordon

Geoff specializes in comparative politics and political methodology. His current research seeks to explain the emergence of institutions that constrain executive authority in new democracies. He is also conducting research on the outcome of elections that follow coups. More broadly, Geoff’s research interests encompass democratization, the politics of authoritarian regimes, and the politics of redistribution in developing countries.

Frierdich

My research explores the intersections of affect, crisis, and power. I study how experiences of loss and violence inform subjectivity, and foreclose and/or empower political agency. I am also interested in how conflicts of representation and recognition structure discourses of citizenship and legitimacy.

Research Interests
Theories of affect, intersubjectivity, and embodiment, Continental political thought, democratic deliberation, psychoanalysis, aesthetics, and political theologies.

Elszasz

Hayley is a PhD candidate writing her dissertation about city-level climate policy in the Bay Area of California. Her research explores how community groups, activists, and city governments contribute to passing and implementing policies related to electrification and gas bans. Hayley's primary academic interests include environmental politics, social movement organizing, and fieldwork ethics.

Dictus

My research centers on how intelligence communities influence assessments of intentions and capabilities. I am interested in how intelligence assets are deployed against both state and non-state actors.

Davis

My work is on corruption. Corruption is a huge problem all over the world that has been shown to be related to everything from poor development to low levels of education and undersupplied hospitals. Specifically, I’m interested in the effects of corruption and how me can control corruption. My dissertation examines corrupt bargains presidents in some countries make where they protect local leaders from being prosecuted for corruption in exchange for electoral support.

Dang

I am interested in the sociopolitical ramifications of gender-based violence in armed conflict, with particular focus on transitional justice mechanisms during peacebuilding and how political institutions address and attend to survivors’ needs and interests in the aftermath of war. I am also interested in how international organizations define and classify global humanitarian crises, as well as the decision-making processes of leadership en route to deploying multilateral humanitarian military interventions.

Coberly

My research focuses on the politics of dictatorship, in particular the role of political parties and party systems in authoritarian governance and regime transitions. Prior to pursuing a PhD in Comparative Politics, I worked as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, where I specialized in Iran and Afghanistan, and as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill.

Christley

My research explores how individual beliefs, attitudes, and preferences shape political behavior. I am particularly interested in the ways in which gender attitudes influence political opinions and actions. I have regional interests in both Europe and the United States, and utilize a variety of methodologies across my work - including experiments, observational data analysis, and content analysis.

Department of Politics