New research challenges the idea that artificial intelligence makes dictators all‑powerful Artificial intelligence is often portrayed as a powerful new tool for authoritarian governments—one that enables constant surveillance, predictive repression,
Oct 2025
International Human Rights Law and Women’s Access to Abortion
Can international law protect abortion rights? Drawing from past work on domestic mechanisms that give international law teeth, we argue that a strong civil society composed of women’s groups and
Jun 2025
International Human Rights Law and Women’s Access to Abortion
Can international law protect abortion rights? Drawing from past work on domestic mechanisms that give international law teeth, we argue that a strong civil society composed of women’s groups and
Jan 2024
How does international shaming and praising affect domestic support for joining international agreements? Many scholars have examined the role of shaming in leading countries to support international agreements, and a
Oct 2023
Introducing ViNSAR: Dyadic Data on Violent Non-State Actor Rivalry
A growing line of research examines causes and consequences of militant group competition. However, empirical work on these topics has limitations. Most quantitative research uses relatively rough proxies for competition,
Sep 2023
Female Electoral Success and the Survival of Girl Children in India
In India, a strong cultural preference for sons often leads to sex-selective abortion or neglect of girls in early childhood. We explore the possibility that female electoral successes increase girl
Aug 2023
Evaluating the determinants of support for police militarization among officers
We evaluate the determinants of officer support for their agency participating in the 1033 Program: a program that facilitates the flow of military hardware to local law enforcement agencies. In
Jul 2023
Does Police Militarization Increase Repression?
Does police militarization influence government use of repression? While comparative work examines police militarization, violence, human rights abuses, and torture, it does not integrate militarized police within existing theories of
Jun 2023
The power of Lakshmi: monetary incentives for raising a girl
Worldwide, 1.6 million girls are “missing” at birth every year. One policy tool to improve the sex ratio is a conditional cash transfer that pays parents to invest in daughters,
May 2023
Why do states engage in violence against marginalized social groups? State violence is typically explained as a calculated response to dissent or as a means of preventing dissent. However, many
