Robert Blair
Joukowsky Family Assistant Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs
Robert Blair’s research focuses on peacekeeping and statebuilding after civil war, with an emphasis on rule of law and security institutions. He has conducted fieldwork on these and related topics in Colombia, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire, and has worked in various capacities for the UN Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions, the Political Instability Task Force, Freedom House and the Small Arms Survey. He holds an MA and PhD in Political Science from Yale University and a BA in Education Studies and Comparative Literature from Brown University. His research has been published in the American Political Science Review and other venues.
For further details see http://robblair.net.
How to restore citizens’ trust and cooperation with newly-reformed security institutions in the wake of civil war? How to establish the rule of law after years of state absence or predation? How (and whether) to promote compliance with state laws when they conflict with local norms, rules and customs? My research on these and related questions includes (1) lab-in-the-field experiments on gender and ethnic discrimination in the Liberian National Police; (2) a panel survey and list experiment on the impact of UN peacekeeping on rule of law in Liberia; and (3) a randomized controlled trial evaluating mechanisms to strengthen the role of Police Inspectors in providing access to security and justice in rural Colombia.
For further details see http://robblair.net/research/.
“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). American Political Science Review, forthcoming
“International Intervention and the Rule of Law after Civil War: Evidence from Liberia.” International Organization, forthcoming
“Teaching Trump: Why Comparative Politics Makes Students More Optimistic About US Democracy” (with Hannah Baron and Shelby Grossman). PS: Political Science & Politics, forthcoming
“The Impact of International Interventions to Empower Women in Post-Conflict Countries: Lab-in-the-Field Evidence from the Liberian National Police” (with Kyle Beardsley, Michael Gilligan and Sabrina Karim). International Studies Quarterly 62:3 (2018): 618-631 (link)
“Predicting Local Violence: Evidence from a Panel Survey in Liberia” (with Christopher Blattman and Alexandra Hartman). Journal of Peace Research 54:2 (2017): 298-312
“Public Health and Public Trust: Survey Evidence from the Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic in Liberia” (with Benjamin Morse and Lily Tsai). Social Science & Medicine 172 (2017): 89-97 (link)
“On the Rights of Warlords: Legitimate Authority and Basic Protection in War-Torn Societies” (with Pablo Kalmanovitz). American Political Science Review 110:3 (2016): 428-440
“Patterns of Demand for Non-Ebola Health Services During and After the Ebola Outbreak: Panel Survey Evidence from Monrovia, Liberia” (with Karen Grepin, Benjamin Morse andLily Tsai). BMJ Global Health 1 (2016): e000007
“How to Promote Order and Property Rights under Weak Rule of Law? An Experiment in Changing Dispute Resolution Behavior through Community Education” (with Christopher Blattman and Alexandra Hartman). American Political Science Review 108:1 (2014): 100-120
For an up-to-date list of publications, working papers and policy reports see http://robblair.net/writing/.
Spring 2018
POLS2590: “Quantitative Research Methods.” Graduate seminar.
Fall 2017
POLS1820X: “Democratic Erosion.” Undergraduate seminar.
POLS1440: "Security, Governance and Development in Africa." Undergraduate lecture.
March 6, 2019 Inside Higher Ed
Assistant professor Robert Blair in Inside Higher Ed, "Studying democratic erosion abroad increases optimism about those prospects, instilling confidence in the strength and longevity of American democratic norms and institutions."
May 10, 2018 News from Brown
Established by Robert Blair, assistant professor of political science, "Democratic Erosion" is a cross-university collaborative course that was created "to help students critically and systematically evaluate the risks to democracy both here and abroad through the lens of theory, history and social science."
April 30, 2018 RIPR
Rob Blair, assistant professor of political science, joined Rhode Island Public Radio to discuss a course he developed following the 2016 presidential election. The course is designed to answer the question: is our democracy failing?
March 20, 2018 Washington Post Magazine
The morning after President Trump's first travel ban, Robert Blair, assistant professor of political science, was inspired to create a class that addressed three questions troubling him: "Is America's democracy at risk? If it is, how would we know? If it's not, why are we all so freaked out that it is?"
June 2, 2017
Forced Population Displacements, Climate Change, Global Economic Inequality, and Humanitarian Relief Initiatives
March 10, 2017 The Washington Post
Robert Blair, assistant professor of political science, co-wrote an article about the complex role of warlords and when they should be recognized as a legitimate authority.
February 28, 2017 Duck of Minerva
Political Science professors Jeff Colgan and Rob Blair in Duck of Minerva, "Although we do not wish to professionally engage in partisan politics, as scholars we are alarmed by Trump’s willingness to transgress long-standing norms of democracy, tolerance and civility."