Research
My research examines how nonviolent resistance movements shape democratization, peace, and political change. Publications are listed below by type. Each entry links to the published version and, where available, an open-access PDF and replication materials. Papers still in progress are on the Working Papers page.
Books
From Dissent to Democracy: The Promise and Peril of Civil Resistance Transitions
Oxford University Press, 2020
Research shows a strong connection between nonviolent civil resistance and democratization. Yet many successful civil resistance campaigns have been followed by authoritarian retrenchment. What explains this variation? Why are moments of hope when civil resistance topples dictators sometimes followed by moments of…
When Civil Resistance Succeeds: Building Democracy After Popular Nonviolent Uprisings
ICNC Press, 2018
Why do some nonviolent revolutions lead to successful democratization while others fail to consolidate democratic change? And what can activists do to push toward a victory over dictatorship that results in long-term political freedom?
Several studies show that nonviolent revolutions are generally a more…
Making or Breaking Nonviolent Discipline in Civil Resistance Campaigns
ICNC Press, 2016
How can we understand when nonviolent movements will stay nonviolent? When are they likely to break down into violence? In this monograph, I analyze both what promotes and undermines nonviolent discipline in civil resistance movements. Combining quantitative research on thousands of nonviolent and violent actions with…
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Journal Articles
Lifting the Fog of Nonviolent War: How Protests Signal Peacefulness
American Journal of Political Science (Forthcoming), 2026
Training Activists in Nonviolent Action Increases Self-Efficacy and Reduces State Violence: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Sudan
Nature Human Behavior (Forthcoming), 2026
Mapping the ROAD to Democracy: A Global Dataset of Overturning Attempts and Organizations in Civil Resistance Transitions
Journal of Peace Research 63(3): 495-503, 2026
Breaking Down Pillars of Support for Democratic Backsliding
Mobilization: An International Quarterly 30(2): 171-188, 2025
Turning Protest into Power: How the Women's March Worked
Social Forces soaf083, 2025
Nonviolent Alternatives Reduce External Support for Rebel Groups: Evidence from Two Cross-National Survey Experiments
Journal of Peace Research 62(6): 1839-1856, 2025
How Civil Resistance Improves Inclusive Democracy
Perspectives on Politics 23(2):552-569, 2024
Moral Logics of Support for Nonviolent Resistance: Evidence From a Cross-National Survey Experiment
Comparative Political Studies 56(3) 326-362, 2023
When the Levee Breaks: An Ensemble Forecasting Model of Violent and Nonviolent Dissent
International Interactions 48(5): 997-1026, 2022
Friday on My Mind: Re-Assessing the Impact of Protest Size on Government Concessions
Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(7-8) 1320-1355, 2022
Introducing the Anatomy of Resistance Campaigns (ARC) Dataset
Journal of Peace Research 59(3) 449-460, 2022
Organizations, Resistance, and Democracy: How Civil Society Organizations Impact Democratization
International Studies Quarterly 66(1), 2022
Activists Against Autocrats: TSMO Networks and Democracy Diffusion
Frontiers in Political Science 92, 2021
Close But Not Too Close: Opposition Network Strategy and Democratization in Zambia
Social Movement Studies OnlineFirst, 2021
Tangled Up in Blue: The Effect of UN Peacekeeping on Nonviolent Protests in Post–Civil War Countries
International Studies Quarterly 65(1) 1-15, 2021
Nonviolent Resistance and the Quality of Democracy
Conflict Management and Peace Science, 38(5) 503-523, 2021
Curving the Resource Curse: Negative Effects of Oil and Gas Revenue on Nonviolent Resistance Campaign Onset
Research & Politics 7(2), 2020
Sickness or Silence: Social Movement Adaptation to COVID-19
Journal of International Affairs, 73(2) 23-42, 2020
Days of Rage: Introducing the NAVCO 3.0 Dataset
Journal of Peace Research 55 (4) 524-534, 2018
Collecting Data on Nonviolent Action: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward
Journal of Peace Research 52 (1) 129-133, 2015
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Book Chapters
Civil Resistance: Theorizing the Force of Nonviolent Action
in The Routledge Handbook of Social Change, edited by Richard Ballard and Clive Barnett, 2022
Nonviolent Resistance, Social Justice, and Positive Peace
in The Springer Handbook of Positive Peace, edited by Katherina Standish, Heather Devere, Rachel Rafferty, and Adan Suazo, 2021
Donning the Velvet: Nonviolent Resistance in the 2018 Armenian Revolution
in Armenia's Velvet Revolution: The Decline and Defeat of Authoritarianism, edited by Anna Ohanyan and Laurence Broers, 2020
Best Practices in Unarmed Civilian Proection in Israel/Palestine
in Nonviolence in the Midst of Violence: Case Studies of Good Practices in Unarmed Civilian Protection, edited by Ellen Furnari, 2016
Insurgency
in International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, edited by James D. Wright, 2015
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Policy Reports
Overcoming the Challenges of Transitional Mobilization
United States Institute of Peace Peaceworks 188, 2023
External Support for Nonviolent Action: An Evidence Review
United States Institute of Peace Evidence Review Paper, 2022
Promoting Peace and Democracy After Nonviolent Action Campaigns
United States Institute of Peace Peaceworks 184, 2022
Nonviolent Action in the Era of Digital Authoritarianism: Hardships and Innovations
United States Institute of Peace Special Report 506, 2022
Motives, Benefits, and Sacred Values: Examining the Psychology of Nonviolent Action and Violent Extremism
United States Institute of Peace Peaceworks 179, 2021
Precarity and Power: Reflections on Women and Youth in Nonviolent Action
United States Institute of Peace Peaceworks 188, 2021
Digital Authoritarianism and Nonviolent Action: Challenging the Digital Counterrevolution
United States Institute of Peace Special Report 499, 2021
Nonviolent Action and Transitions to Democracy: The Impact of Inclusive Dialogue and Negotiation
United States Institute of Peace Peaceworks 174, 2021
How to Win Well: Civil Resistance Breakthroughs and the Path to Democracy
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict Special Report 4, 2021
Struggles From Below: Literature Review on Human Rights Struggles by Domestic Actors
DRG Center Research and Innovation Grants Working Papers Series, 2017
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