The CRSS lab currently has three main projects:

Project 1: The Mass Protest Project (closed to new applicants)

Project Description: Protests and demonstrations have become the dominant form for public signals of discontent. The literature on nonviolent civil resistance has noted the successfulness of protestors and demonstrations in removing dictators and inspiring policy shifts. However, significant democratic backsliding is prevalent during the aftermath of a nonviolent movement. This project addresses the lack of quantitative evidence comparing the immediate, intermediate and long-term effects of social movements. During their tenure, students will research and gather information on the aftermath of protest movements. Students will be directly involved in the compiling of an event history dataset on protest concessions, outcomes, and consequences.

Project 2: Polarization and Political Violence in the US (closed to new applicants)

Affiliated Faculty: Dr. Erin Czikanek (Cornell University)

Project Description: The United States is polarizing faster than any other country and the effects are severe and widespread. Of concern is the linkage between polarization and domestic political violence. This project analyzes and measures 1) how polarization influences an individual’s attitudes towards political violence, 2) the levels of public complacency towards political violence. Students will get hands-on experience in the deployment process of surveys and experiments.

Project 3: Forced Sterilization and Public Backlash (closed to new applicants)

Affiliated Faculty: Dr. Liana Woskie (Tufts University)

Project Description: Many countries seek to control domestic fertility rates, and fertility rate goals are often externally imposed as a condition of aid. Many states employ forced sterilization as a tool to control fertility rates, disproportionately targeting certain domestic populations. Forced sterilization programs can exist for decades before mass public backlash emerges. This project examines the role of mass public backlash in shaping governmental usage of national coercive sterilization programs.