Democratic Breakdown, Presidentialism, and Human Rights Abuses
Seminar
It is well-established that presidential democracies fail more frequently than parliamentary democracies, but there is little consensus on why. We argue that the threat of regime failure changes the composition of executive-legislative bargains more in presidential regimes than in parliamentary…
A Decolonial Feminist Politics of Fieldwork: Centering Community, Reflexivity, and Loving Accountability (Laura J. Shepherd and Colleagues)
Seminar
International Studies scholarship has benefitted from insights from Anthropology, Peace and Conflict Studies, Geography, and other disciplines to craft a thoughtful set of reflections and considerations that researchers take with them ‘into the field’ when they embark on ‘fieldwork’. In this essay…
Explaining Variation of Colonial Narratives in Postcolonial States: Denunciation and Valorisation in Southeast Asia
Seminar
Research on the negative impacts of colonialism is well-established across the social sciences. In spite of this, considerable variation exists in how postcolonial states situate their colonial histories within national narratives. Some states frame their colonial experience negatively, denouncing…
Do Exchange Rates Influence Voting? Evidence from Elections and Survey Experiments in Democracies
Seminar
Intense debate surrounds the effects of trade on voting, yet less attention has been paid to how real exchange rate fluctuations may influence elections. A moderately overvalued currency enhances the consumer’s purchasing power. Yet extreme overvaluation threatens exports and economic growth. We…
Transitioning from Parliament: The Victorian Experience and Beyond
Seminar
A career in parliament is inherently transitory, and parliamentary turnover is critical for a healthy democracy. Yet many MPs fail to prepare for the time when they must leave parliament. This lack of preparedness exacerbates the challenges of post-parliamentary life. First, this presentation…
Genealogy as Method: Historicising Political Subjectivities and the Political Unconscious (Adele Webb)
Seminar
Within the political science scholarship on democracy, there is a modest but growing concern about the need to make more complex our understandings of citizens' political engagement, and the meaning and purposes that steer a particular political community. This talk explores the opportunities and…
The Logic and Impacts of Rebel Public Services Provision: Evidence from Taliban Courts in Afghanistan
Seminar
Rebel organizations regularly provide public services, even as they primarily focus on fighting. Existing scholarship documents many predictors of insurgent services, but the theoretical mechanisms for, and downstream effects of, these activities remain unclear. This study examines Taliban courts…