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Erin Hern

@erinhern.bsky.social
952 followers 435 following 71 posts

Assoc. Prof @Syracuse, African Politics, political behavior, resource governance, global energy transition

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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Takeaway: even in "weak" party systems, parties shape how citizens conceptualize the regime — with downstream consequences for democratic support, participation, and resistance to backsliding. Open access🔗 journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10....
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I use Afrobarometer cross-nationally + WVS panel data from Ghana & Zimbabwe (leveraging alternations in power) to address reverse causality.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Ruling party partisans → more instrumental understandings Opposition partisans → more procedural understandings … but the gap narrows in competitive multiparty systems.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
New article out in Party Politics! 🧵 "Partisanship, Party Systems, and Understandings of Democracy across Africa" Partisanship shapes how citizens understand democracy — procedurally or instrumentally — but the strength of that relationship depends on party system competitiveness and clientelism.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Yep--you can DM me your questions :)
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Congratulations! So well deserved!
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Alex Dyzenhaus @dyzenhaus.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Awards nominations are open for African Politics! Please share widely! @jsteend.bsky.social @stephaniewanga.bsky.social @evlieb.bsky.social @africasacountry.bsky.social @jsas-journal.bsky.social @chinemeluokafor.bsky.social @thelauram16.bsky.social @woldense.bsky.social
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Maxwell School @maxwellsu.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
How should gender discrimination be measured when countries have overlapping legal systems? Erin Hern, associate professor of political science, served as a lead discussant for the OECD as it prepares updates to its Social Institutions and Gender Index, a key global benchmark.
maxwell.syr.edu
Erin Hern Shares Expertise on Gender Discrimination for OECD
Erin Hern Shares Expertise on Gender Discrimination for OECD
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European Political Science Review @epsrjournal.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
🍂 17.4 🗳️ Voters won’t defend democracy they can’t see slipping away. A study of African 🌍 elections by @erinhern.bsky.social finds citizens drive out #Autocratizing leaders only when their power grabs are visible 👀 🫳
buff.ly
Visibility of autocratization and election outcomes | European Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
Visibility of autocratization and election outcomes - Volume 17 Issue 4
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Congratulations, Alex!
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Hey Emily! You can find the syllabus for my thesis seminar here (PSC 495/6): www.erinhern.com/teaching.html Happy to chat if you have any questions.
erinhern.com
Teaching
Courses listed below are those currently in my rotation. Syllabi are from the last time the course was offered PSC 123: Comparative Government and Politics PSC 300:  Intro to Original Research...
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Hi Jenn, I am so sorry you are experiencing this. I had no idea until I just saw this post. Wishing you the very best outcome
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
8/ Spoiler: siccing the military on protestors is a visible form of autocratization.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
7/ I show that, across competitive African elections since 1990, incumbents who carry out more visible forms of autocratization are more likely to be voted out of office. Analysis of survey data shows that perceiving these autocratic actions especially moves the needle for independent voters.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
6/ More visible autocratization is more noticeable, more recognizable as a democratic transgression, and harder to rationalize. These acts draw more ire from the public, particularly from independents.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
5/ I argue that many types of democratic transgressions are subtle and hard to recognize, and the general public may not notice these actions or understand how they undermine democracy. Where the public does notice, these more subtle actions are easier for incumbents to rationalize.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
4/ This research has paid less attention whether the types of transgressions that leaders commit are widely recognizable to the general public as “undemocratic.” In this article, I introduce the concept of “visibility” as it relates to anti-democratic behavior carried out by incumbents.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
3/ Why don’t people recognize when democratically elected leaders dismantle democracy? Why don’t they punish them at the ballot box? Great research shows how partisanship prevents electorates from holding leaders accountable after they carry out democratic transgressions. BUT:
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
2/ TLDR: citizens are far more likely to recognize and react negatively to certain democratic transgressions carried out by would-be autocrats. I term these acts of “visible autocratization,” and show that leaders who do these things are much more likely to be voted out of office.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
1/ Happy to report an unfortunately timely new (open access!) pub in EPSR. A short 🧵: doi.org/10.1017/S175...
doi.org
Visibility of autocratization and election outcomes | European Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
Visibility of autocratization and election outcomes
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Woke up to an article acceptance, a toddler who now **really gets** this whole potty training thing, and stunningly beautiful weather. Holding onto the bright spots.
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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
President Donald Trump’s administration has abruptly revoked the visas of three international students at Syracuse University without explaining why the students were targeted, SU officials told syracuse.com.
syracuse.com
Trump administration revokes visas of 3 Syracuse University students without warning
SU says it received no notice or explanation about the targeting of its international students.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Congratulations, Natalie! That is wonderful news!
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
I used to teach in the town right next to Nampa and let me tell you--this is really something
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Right? I just finished covering how ISI went for most countries in the 1980s. The idea that he is trying to ISI our way backwards into a manufacturing economy is so unbelievably stupid it hurts.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
So I read that group chat and...shouldn't the main story be that these clowns COLLAPSED AN ENTIRE APARTMENT BUILDING FULL OF CIVILIANS to kill one guy after explicitly stating that there isn't really any rush to get him?
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Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 14/03/2025
Shut down the government. Do it, do it now, do it right in the middle of 5th avenue, do it and let the English see you do it. Tell them it was you who voted against GOP madness. The message is simple. No Democratic votes for a lawless authoritarian government. @schumer.senate.gov
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Maxwell School @maxwellsu.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Committed to public service and public servants, the No. 1-ranked Maxwell School is offering reduced tuition for qualifying professional graduate degree programs to current or former U.S. federal government employees. ➡️ Find out more: bit.ly/4khMcy3
A statue of George Washington in front of the Athenian Oath
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
So prescient.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
I guess I was naive but I really thought it would take more than 3 weeks to hit full-blown constitutional crisis.
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jenna ruddock @ruddock.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Congressional delegation outside USAID now: “We are here to shed a light on a crime unfolding before our eyes.”
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
I have a neighbor who shovels his driveway in this exact getup.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Wait for the reminder email, curse about it, and then squeeze it into the following week 🙃
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Thanks, Seth--they are fine, but have friends who have been evacuated and who have likely lost their homes.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
The weird cognitive dissonance of having a snow day here in central NY, with over 3 ft of snow drift in our backyard, while historic fires rage 20 miles north of my parents' house, demolishing landmarks of my childhood.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
My review of Goran Hyden's newest book is out in Political Science Quarterly--this book is a really interesting retrospective of 60 years of comparative politics research, and what the field misses when it ignores Africa. Gift link here: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
academic.oup.com
Theorizing in Comparative Politics: Democratization in Africa by Goran Hyden
Goran Hyden has a message for comparative political scientists: Western societies must not be considered “both the compass and the end point” (13) for demo
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
I don't see why we can't live in multiple timelines at once.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Who says time is linear, anyway?
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
I wrote the year correctly on the letter of rec I submitted today. Please clap.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
That's a good one. In the Lion King, if Mufasa and Scar are brothers who presumably grew up in the same pride lands, why does Scar have a British accent while Mufasa's is American?
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Love that! Unfortunately we have a gas fireplace that smells like indoor air pollution when we turn it on 😭
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
SAME. This has always bothered me.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
love that!
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Making a real effort this year to ward off seasonal depression (light therapy, vit D supplementation) and this book tells me I should have special wintertime rituals/activities. What are your favorite winter things (that aren't skiing)? Bonus if they are little kid friendly.
Screenshot of book cover for "How to Winter: Harness your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days."
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
After two years of repeated rejections and re-writes, a piece that is very important to me just got an R&R! Trying to take my own (and @mirya.bsky.social's) advice and celebrate academic wins. Okay, back to grading...
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
I have a canned response to these that I can tailor for inquiries that are particularly thoughtful
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Thalia Gerzso @thaliagerzso.bsky.social · 28/03/2024
🏆🚨Afripolsky, it's award nomination season! APCG is accepting nominations for Best Dissertation, Best Graduate Student Paper, Best Article Award, and Best Book Award. Nominations are due on May 4. More info about each category is in this thread. Please share widely.🚨🏆
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 07/02/2024
I want to know what happened in 1991 that shifted public opinion about all three so much
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 11/12/2023
Yes.
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Erin Hern @erinhern.bsky.social · 17/11/2023
This piece contributes to the broader work on political behavior under democratic decline, and offers the hopeful conclusion that (some) voters recognize anti-democratic behavior and vote against those incumbents. 6/6
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