Milan Svolik

Milan Svolik

Fellow: Awarded 2022
Field of Study: Political Science

Competition: US & Canada

Milan Svolik is Professor of Political Science at Yale University. His research and teaching focus on comparative politics, political economy, and formal political theory. Svolik has authored articles on the politics of authoritarian regimes, democratization, and democratic backsliding. His research has won awards and funding from, among others, the American Political Science Association and the National Science Foundation. Svolik’s award-winning first book, The Politics of Authoritarian Rule (Cambridge University Press, 2012), developed a unified framework that explains the enormous variation in institutions, leadership change, and regime stability across dictatorships.

In addition to continuing work on the politics of authoritarianism and democratization, Svolik’s current research explores the politics of democratic backsliding, support for democracy, and electoral manipulation. His latest book project, Downsizing Democracy, examines why ordinary people support politicians who undermine democracy.

Photo Credit: L. Brian Stauffer

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