Position(s) at the Institute

Associate Professor, International Relations/Political Science

Profile

PhD University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Professor Bhavnani joined the Graduate Institute faculty in 2011. His research focuses on the micro-foundations of civil violence. Relying on agent-based computational modelling and disaggregated empirical analysis, his work consistently underscores the endogenous relationships among the characteristics, beliefs, and interests of relevant actors; social mechanisms and emergent social structures that shape attitudes, decision-making and behaviour; and patterns of violence. Professor Bhavnani’s current research integrates agent-based modelling and micro-level empirical analysis to investigate how ethnic geography—the spatial the distribution of individuals from nominally rival groups—shapes violence. His articles appear in Comparative Politics, Conflict Management & Peace Science, Complexity, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Politics, and Nationalism & Ethnic Politics, among others.

Areas of expertise

• Armed conflicts, violence (civil war)
• Urban questions
• Africa, sub-Saharan
• Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
• Ethnicity
• Agent-based modeling

Selected publications

• 2012. “Modeling Civil Violence in Afghanistan: Ethnic Geography, Control, and Collaboration.”  Complexity 17:6 (July/August): 42-51 (with H. Choi)
• 2012.  “Here’s Looking at You: Israeli Reactions to the Arab Spring.”  Swiss Political Science Review 18:1 (March): 124-131 (with K. Donnay).
• 2012. "Voting Intentions in Africa.” Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 50:1 (February): 27-52 (with M. Bratton and T. Chen).
• 2011. “Minority Rule and Civil War Onset: Accounting for Ethnic Salience, Fiscal Policy, and Natural Resource Profiles.” Conflict Management and Peace Science 28:5 (November): 423 – 443 (with D. Miodownik).
• 2011. “Violence and Control in Civil Conflict: Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.” Comparative Politics 44:1 (October):61-80 (with D. Miodownik and H. Choi).
• 2011. “Transnational-Ethnic Ties and the Incidence of Minority Rule in Rwanda and Burundi.” Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 17: 231–256 (with J. Lavery).
• 2011. “Three Two Tango: Control and Violence in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 55:1 (February): 133-158 (with D. Miodownik and H. Choi).
• 2009. “Rumor Dynamics in Ethnic Violence.” Journal of Politics 71:3 (July): 876-892 (with M. Findley and J. Kuklinski).
• 2009.  “Ethnic Polarization, Ethnic Salience, and Civil War.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 53:1 (February): 30-49 (with D. Miodownik).
• 2009. “Scarcity, Abundance, and Conflict: A Complex New World.” Whitehead Journal of International Diplomacy 10: 2 (Summer/Fall): 19-34. 
• 2008. “Simulating Closed Regimes with Agent-Based Models.” Complexity 14:1 (September/October): 36-44 (with R. Riolo and D. Backer).
• 2008. “REsCape: An Agent-Based Framework for Modeling Resources, Ethnicity, and Conflict.” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 11:2 (March) (with D. Miodownik, and J. Nart).
• 2006. “Ethnic Norms and Interethnic Violence: Accounting for Mass Participation in the Rwandan Genocide.” Journal of Peace Research 43:6 (November): 651-669.
• 2005. “Diamonds, Blood, and Taxes: A Revenue-Centered Framework for Explaining Political Order.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 49:4 (August): 563-597 (with R. Snyder).
• 2003. “Announcement, Credibility, and Turnout in Popular Rebellions.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 47:3 (June): 340-366 (with M. Ross).
• 2000. “Localized Ethnic Conflict and Genocide: Accounting for Differences in Rwanda and Burundi.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 44:3 (June): 283-307 (with D. Backer).

Fellowship and activities

• Member, American Political Science Association
• Member, International Studies Association
• Member, European Political Science Association

Documents