Robert Blair

Joukowsky Family Assistant Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs

Biography

Robert Blair is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs at Brown University. His research focuses on international intervention and the consolidation of state authority after civil war, with an emphasis on rule of law and security institutions. He also directs the Democratic Erosion project, a multi-university consortium that addresses the causes and consequences of democratic deconsolidation through a combination of teaching, research, and civic and policy engagement. He has conducted fieldwork on these and related topics in Colombia, Liberia, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, and the US. He has also worked in various capacities for the UN Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions, the US Central Intelligence Agency’s Political Instability Task Force, USAID, Freedom House, and the Small Arms Survey. He holds a B.A. from Brown and a Ph.D in political science from Yale University. His research is published or forthcoming in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, Quarterly Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, World Politics, International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, and other venues. His book, Peacekeeping, Policing, and the Rule of Law after Civil War, was published in 2020 with Cambridge University Press.

Research

Robert Blair's research focuses on international intervention and the consolidation of state authority after civil war, with an emphasis on rule of law and security institutions. He also directs the Democratic Erosion project, a multi-university consortium that addresses the causes and consequences of democratic deconsolidation through a combination of teaching, research and civic and policy engagement.

Publications

“UN Peacekeeping and the Rule of Law.” 2021. American Political Science Review 115(1): 51-68

“Foreign Aid and State Legitimacy: Evidence on Chinese and US Aid to Africa from Surveys, Survey Experiments, and Behavioral Games” (with Philip Roessler). 2021. World Politics 73(2): 315-357

“Engineering Informal Institutions: Long-Run Impacts of Alternative Dispute Resolution on Violence and Property Rights in Liberia” (with Christopher Blattman and Alexandra Hartman). 2021. Journal of Politics 83(1): 381-389

“Building Credibility and Cooperation in Low-Trust Settings: Persuasion and Source Accountability in Liberia During the 2014–2015 Ebola Crisis” (with Benjamin Morse and Lily Tsai). 2020. Comparative Political Studies 54(10-11): 1582-1618

“Establishing the Rule of Law in Weak and War-torn States: Evidence from a Field Experiment with the Liberian National Police” (with Sabrina Karim and Benjamin Morse). 2019. American Political Science Review 113(3): 641-657

“International Intervention and the Rule of Law after Civil War: Evidence from Liberia.” 2019. International Organization 73(2): 365-398

Teaching

POLS1440: "Security, Governance and Development in Africa"

POLS1820X: "Democratic Erosion"

POLS1824: "Post-Conflict Politics"

POLS 2110: "Proseminar in Comparative Politics"

POLS2590: "Quantitative Research Methods"

News|Recent News

Communication around masks is still terrible (commentary by Rob Blair)

July 23, 2021 The Verge

This article includes previous commentary from Rob Blair. 

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Can Americans Depolarize? New Research Shows an Initiative that Draws on Couples Therapy Can Reduce Hostility Between Democrats and Republicans

June 9, 2021

Rob Blair and co-authors recently wrote, "Can Americans Depolarize? Assessing the Effects of Reciprocal Group Reflection on Partisan Polarization," a piece analyzing an experimental evaluation of a unique depolarization initiative that draws on principles of couples therapy to mitigate hostility between Democrats and Republicans. 

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Foreign Aid and State Legitimacy

March 31, 2021

Robert Blair and Philip Roessler recently published, "Foreign Aid and State Legitimacy" which examines evidence on foreign aid from surveys, survey experiments, and behavioral games. 

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Research Achievement Awards honor early-career and accomplished Brown scholars (Rob Blair cited)

March 31, 2021 News from Brown

This article notes that Rob Blair was one of six Brown researchers to receive the 2021 Research Achievement Award. 

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Peacekeeping, Policing, and the Rule of Law after Civil War

November 30, 2020

Robert Blair is the author of, "Peacekeeping, Policing, and the Rule of Law after Civil War." In it, Blair proposes a new theory to explain how the international community can help establish the rule of law in the world's weakest and most war-torn states, focusing on the crucial but often underappreciated role of the United Nations. 

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Here’s How to Restore Trust in the CDC (commentary by Robert Blair)

November 18, 2020 Mother Jones

In this article, Rob Blair offers commentary on the coronavirus vaccine. 

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How would we know if it’s time to protest Trump’s maneuvers? (co-written by Rob Blair)

November 13, 2020 Boston Globe

In this opinion piece, Rob Blair writes "The good news is that Trump’s efforts are unlikely to succeed in changing the outcome of the election. Still, his refusal to accept defeat can do serious lasting harm."

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