Ben Yoel
@benyoel.bsky.social
On the market! PhD candidate in Political Science at MSU | Predoctoral Fellow @ SNF Agora | IPPSR Fellow | resistance to democratic erosion | Past: UChicago Visiting PhD student, Reichman University alum, EA @ Journal of Politics | benjaminyoel.com
Thanks to @verasight.bsky.social, I was able to include a question at APSA. Given my line of work, I asked respondents (N=1,000, in the US) to weigh the extent to which they believed it was worth allying with groups you strongly disagree with to defend democracy (a common dilemma oppositions face).
October 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Thanks to @verasight.bsky.social, I was able to include a question at APSA. Given my line of work, I asked respondents (N=1,000, in the US) to weigh the extent to which they believed it was worth allying with groups you strongly disagree with to defend democracy (a common dilemma oppositions face).
First in person APSA ✔️! I had the pleasure of presenting my job market research on opposition to democratic backsliding, meeting old and new friends from around the world, and exploring Vancouver.
September 14, 2025 at 5:51 PM
First in person APSA ✔️! I had the pleasure of presenting my job market research on opposition to democratic backsliding, meeting old and new friends from around the world, and exploring Vancouver.
Had the pleasure of presenting my dissertation work on international pressure and opposition to democratic backsliding this morning at APSA in Vancouver. Grateful to attendees, @lgamboa.bsky.social and @orcunselcuk.bsky.social for discussant comments, and an excellent discussion on backsliding!
September 11, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Had the pleasure of presenting my dissertation work on international pressure and opposition to democratic backsliding this morning at APSA in Vancouver. Grateful to attendees, @lgamboa.bsky.social and @orcunselcuk.bsky.social for discussant comments, and an excellent discussion on backsliding!
My undergrad RA, Jeanette Dompreh, recently presented some descriptive results from the data collection she's been helping me with for my dissertation on US Secretary of State rhetoric and pro-democracy movements. One of the most exciting parts about working with undergrads. Check it out!
August 12, 2025 at 7:06 PM
My undergrad RA, Jeanette Dompreh, recently presented some descriptive results from the data collection she's been helping me with for my dissertation on US Secretary of State rhetoric and pro-democracy movements. One of the most exciting parts about working with undergrads. Check it out!
Here's an example to illustrate the problem I'm currently having (see row 6, in particular)
August 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Here's an example to illustrate the problem I'm currently having (see row 6, in particular)
Back in Tel Aviv for a little bit: DM me if you want to meet/grab coffee.
July 13, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Back in Tel Aviv for a little bit: DM me if you want to meet/grab coffee.
And…that’s a wrap on IQMR! Incredibly grateful to have been an open pool attendee and being able to have learned so much about qualitative and mixed methods and meet people from around the world!!
June 27, 2025 at 8:46 PM
And…that’s a wrap on IQMR! Incredibly grateful to have been an open pool attendee and being able to have learned so much about qualitative and mixed methods and meet people from around the world!!
A very nice start to two weeks here at IQMR in Syracuse! Also a very gorgeous run along the lake.
June 16, 2025 at 12:10 AM
A very nice start to two weeks here at IQMR in Syracuse! Also a very gorgeous run along the lake.
Good to be back in Europe for a little while! I’ll be in Paris for a few weeks for professional and personal reasons. If you’re in town I’d love to grab coffee!
May 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Good to be back in Europe for a little while! I’ll be in Paris for a few weeks for professional and personal reasons. If you’re in town I’d love to grab coffee!
Was a treat to present my dissertation research at the famous Workshop in International Politics at the University of Chicago! Terrific feedback and very engaged!
May 15, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Was a treat to present my dissertation research at the famous Workshop in International Politics at the University of Chicago! Terrific feedback and very engaged!
And just like that…fourth year of the PhD is behind me! Wild to think how quickly time has passed since the start of the PhD. I’m grateful to my coauthors and both MSU Political Science (my home department) as well as UChicago and Sue Stokes for allowing me to be visiting on campus this year!
April 25, 2025 at 6:09 PM
And just like that…fourth year of the PhD is behind me! Wild to think how quickly time has passed since the start of the PhD. I’m grateful to my coauthors and both MSU Political Science (my home department) as well as UChicago and Sue Stokes for allowing me to be visiting on campus this year!
R&R resubmitted from this beautiful office space on UChicago’s campus!
April 8, 2025 at 10:24 PM
R&R resubmitted from this beautiful office space on UChicago’s campus!
MPSA ✅! A true pleasure to present my work on the international dimensions of opposition to democratic backsliding and get really great feedback plus connect with old and new faces 😊
April 6, 2025 at 8:48 PM
MPSA ✅! A true pleasure to present my work on the international dimensions of opposition to democratic backsliding and get really great feedback plus connect with old and new faces 😊
I'll be presenting once again my main dissertation paper on the consequences of international political rhetoric on democracy for opposition movements in backsliding democracies at 3:20pm on Friday. Come say hi!
April 2, 2025 at 6:37 PM
I'll be presenting once again my main dissertation paper on the consequences of international political rhetoric on democracy for opposition movements in backsliding democracies at 3:20pm on Friday. Come say hi!
Very excited to have gotten my reviewer copies of @alexislerner.bsky.social’s book! Looking forward to reading and reviewing her very timely book.
March 30, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Very excited to have gotten my reviewer copies of @alexislerner.bsky.social’s book! Looking forward to reading and reviewing her very timely book.
Was an honor and pleasure to present my dissertation research at Notre Dame! Huge thanks to @kellogginstitute.bsky.social and Marc Jacob for the very kind invitation and hospitality. Probably the best place to get feedback on my work on the international dimensions of opposition to backsliding!
March 21, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Was an honor and pleasure to present my dissertation research at Notre Dame! Huge thanks to @kellogginstitute.bsky.social and Marc Jacob for the very kind invitation and hospitality. Probably the best place to get feedback on my work on the international dimensions of opposition to backsliding!
The opposition in Turkey has sought to internationalize this struggle, a move recognized by opposition figures in other countries such as Gergely Karácsony, the incumbent mayor of Budapest, Hungary, another increasingly autocratizing setting:
March 19, 2025 at 2:43 PM
The opposition in Turkey has sought to internationalize this struggle, a move recognized by opposition figures in other countries such as Gergely Karácsony, the incumbent mayor of Budapest, Hungary, another increasingly autocratizing setting:
And just like that…first ISA is in the books for me! Lovely meeting fellow scholars of international pressure, backsliding, and nonviolent resistance, and presenting my broader dissertation project on the causes and consequences of opposition to democratic backsliding.
March 5, 2025 at 4:08 AM
And just like that…first ISA is in the books for me! Lovely meeting fellow scholars of international pressure, backsliding, and nonviolent resistance, and presenting my broader dissertation project on the causes and consequences of opposition to democratic backsliding.
And…tomorrow at 10:30am I’ll be presenting paper 3 from my dissertation project at ISA. In it, I focus on the implications of international rhetorical pressure for public support for opposition movements to democratic backsliding using a conjoint experiment.
March 3, 2025 at 2:26 PM
And…tomorrow at 10:30am I’ll be presenting paper 3 from my dissertation project at ISA. In it, I focus on the implications of international rhetorical pressure for public support for opposition movements to democratic backsliding using a conjoint experiment.
Come say hi tomorrow at 8:15 in the Hilton!
March 1, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Come say hi tomorrow at 8:15 in the Hilton!
I traded 20 degree weather for -20 weather (Celsius) but it’s great being back at UChicago’s campus!
January 21, 2025 at 11:18 PM
I traded 20 degree weather for -20 weather (Celsius) but it’s great being back at UChicago’s campus!
In between interviews for the dissertation, a brief visit to the Hebrew University.
January 8, 2025 at 12:45 PM
In between interviews for the dissertation, a brief visit to the Hebrew University.
First interview for my dissertation on opposition to democratic backsliding - done! I’m super grateful to the civil society activists, politicians, and journalists in Israel that have agreed to be interviewed for my project notwithstanding my rusty interviewing skills in Hebrew.
December 26, 2024 at 12:20 PM
First interview for my dissertation on opposition to democratic backsliding - done! I’m super grateful to the civil society activists, politicians, and journalists in Israel that have agreed to be interviewed for my project notwithstanding my rusty interviewing skills in Hebrew.
A treat to be back at Reichman University presenting the Democratic Erosion Event Dataset (DEED), our event dataset on democratic erosion with the Democratic Erosion Consortium. Thanks to Amnon Cavari for the invitation and his students in his democratic backsliding seminar for amazing engagement!
December 24, 2024 at 1:30 PM
A treat to be back at Reichman University presenting the Democratic Erosion Event Dataset (DEED), our event dataset on democratic erosion with the Democratic Erosion Consortium. Thanks to Amnon Cavari for the invitation and his students in his democratic backsliding seminar for amazing engagement!