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Steven Schaaf

Assistant Professor of the Comparative Politics of the Middle East

Steven Schaaf

I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Studies.

Research Interests

My research interests span topics of political regimes, comparative judicial politics, contentious politics, Middle East political systems, and public opinion (in the United States and Middle East).

Biography

I graduated with a B.A. from Drake University in 2013 (International Relations; Law, Politics, and Society), and a Ph.D. from George Washington University in 2021 (Political Science). At the University of Mississippi, I teach courses on authoritarianism and democracy, Middle East Studies, socio-legal studies, social movements, and research methods for the Political Science Department and Croft Institute for International Studies.

Publications

Autocrats Can't Always Get What they Want (2024 Book with University of Michigan Press)

The Color of International Trade: How Different Racial Attitudes Affect Public Trade Preferences (2024, International Interactions)

When Do Courts Constrain the Authoritarian State? Judicial Decision-Making in Jordan and Palestine (2022, Comparative Politics)

Contentious Politics in the Courthouse: Law as a Tool for Resisting Authoritarian States in the Middle East (2021, Law & Society Review)

Is There a Trump Effect? An Experiment on Political Polarization and Audience Costs (2019, Perspectives on Politics)

Courses Taught

Education

B.A. International Relations, Drake University (2013)

M.A. Political Science, George Washington University (2016)

Ph.D. Political Science, George Washington University (2021)