Dartmouth Events

Are you a Dartmouth undergrad interested in conducting research to strengthen democracy? The PEP seeks two Dartmouth undergrads to serve in a remote capacity as paid interns X24 (June 3 through August 9). You will work alongside students from seven other universities, working collaboratively on projects such as:

1.Expand a database of global incidents of democratic erosion. The Democratic Erosion Event Dataset is a collection of events related to the “precursors and symptoms of, and resistance to, democratic backsliding” around the world. The contents of this dataset are drawn from case studies produced by students taking a course on Democratic Erosion, which is now taught at more than 60 institutions. As part of this process, you will expand the dataset by “coding” new case studies and Freedom House reports for additions to the dataset. You will also have the opportunity to improve the methodology for coding, adding or modifying indicators, as well as producing original research based on the dataset.

2.Draft policy briefs. You will research particular patterns of democratic erosion and resilience based on analysis of the dataset and other relevant data sources and literature, in order to write briefs on key trends for a policy audience. Briefs may include topics related to state violence and democratic erosion, how countries successfully rebound from backsliding, and understanding when and how resistance to authoritarian consolidation or democratic backsliding succeeds (or fails).

3.Conduct quantitative analyses for an academic audience .

4.Contribute to programming in the Democratic Erosion consortium. You may have the opportunity to help prepare additional pedagogical materials and events for students, faculty, and practitioners tackling questions of democratic erosion and resilience.

What we offer: Each intern will receive:

• A $5,250 stipend.
• Funding to travel to Washington DC in early June for an in-person gathering of all the interns, meeting with scholars, policymakers, and practitioners associated with the Democratic Erosion Consortium.
• A chance to work remotely (aside from the in-person gathering). You can live wherever you choose.
• Training on topics related to democratic erosion and methods of coding case studies into databases.
• A possible chance to present work from the internship to practitioners and policymakers at the end of the summer.

What we ask of you:

• You will work 30-35 hours/week throughout the 10-week internship.
• Apply your creativity and work ethic.
• Self-starters are required.

Desired qualifications:

• One intern should be strong on quantitative methods and R and/or Stata, and also ideally possesses at least some familiarity with social sciences. The other intern should be very knowledgeable about topics related to democracy, and doesn’t need as strong of a quantitative background, but ideally has some familiarity with quantitative methods.

To apply: Please send Professor Muirhead (Russell.muirhead@dartmouth.edu) the following attachments:

• your resume
• your transcript
• a cover letter explaining why you find this interesting, as well as noting your relevant coursework, your knowledge of topics of democracy, your quantitative skills, your research or job experience, and anything else you think will be relevant. The application deadline is the end of the day on February 17, 2024.
• (Photo Illustration by Hugo Herrera)