Most of my research focuses on voting behavior, public opinion, elections, and representation throughout the developing world. Here are some of my recent projects.
Democracy on the Ballot
In this project, Mollie Cohen, Matthew Layton, Mason Moseley, and I aim to understand the nature and consequences of elections in which potentially authoritarian candidates are on the ballot. Our work is based on a five-wave panel study of Brazil’s 2018 election, running from July 2018 to January 2019, as well as a two-wave study of the 2020 US presidential election.
- Here is the project Dataverse.
- Our first publication is out, and a second is conditionally accepted!
- Layton, Matthew L., Amy Erica Smith, Mason W. Moseley, and Mollie J. Cohen. 2021. “Demographic Polarization and the Rise of the Far Right: Brazil’s 2018 Presidential Election.” Research & Politics 8 (1): 2053168021990204.
- Cohen, Mollie J., Amy Erica Smith, Mason W. Moseley, and Matthew L. Layton. “Winners’ Consent? Citizen Commitment to Democracy when Illiberal Candidates Win Elections.” (Conditionally accepted, American Journal of Political Science)
- Here are two more working papers — comments are welcome!
- Smith, Amy Erica, Mollie J. Cohen, Mason W. Moseley, and Matthew L. Layton. “Rejecting Authoritarianism: When Values are Endogenous to Politics.“
- Mason W. Moseley, Matthew L. Layton, Mollie J. Cohen, and Amy Erica Smith. “Finding Voice through Political Action? Perceptions of Participatory Efficacy in Brazil’s 2018 Presidential Election.”
The Grassroots Right in Latin America
Lindsay Mayka and I are editing a special issue of a journal that seeks to understand the growing power of right-leaning issues, ideologies, and identities among citizens in Latin America.
- Breaking news! The issue will be released in August 2021 as volume 63, number 3.
- Read our introduction to the special issue.
Work on the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Smith, Amy Erica. 2020. “Covid vs. Democracy: Brazil’s Populist Playbook.” Journal of Democracy. 31(4): 76-90.
- Greg Love and I are co-editing a special issue of the journal Revista Lationoamericana de Opinion Publica on COVID and public opinion in Latin America. The call for submissions is still open and we’re looking for great work.
For other work, see my prior publications.
Image: Rio de Janeiro, 2008