Dartmouth Events

The Political Economy Project seeks 2 or 3 Dartmouth undergraduates to serve in a remote capacity as paid interns X-25 (June 16- Aug 22). Working with students from other universities, your team will address 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 are drawn from case studies produced by students taking a course on Democratic Erosion, now taught at over 60 colleges. Since X-23, democracy interns have begun to code Freedom House country reports to capture additional events. You'll expand the dataset by “coding” new case studies and Freedom House reports for inclusion, and for validating/cleaning existing data. You may also improve the methodology for coding, adding or modifying indicators as well as producing original research from the dataset. 
2. Draft policy briefs. You will research specific 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 such as state violence and democratic erosion, successful rebounding from backsliding, and the determinants of successful resistance to authoritarian consolidation or democratic backsliding.
3. Conduct quantitative analyses for an academic audience.
4. Contribute to programming in the Democratic Erosion consortium. You may have a chance to prepare additional pedagogical materials for students, faculty, and practitioners tackling questions of democratic erosion and resilience.

What we offer:

• A $5,250 stipend.
• Paid travel to Wash., DC in early June for an in-person gathering of all interns at an Annual Convening with scholars, policymakers, and practitioners linked to the Democratic Erosion Consortium. 
• The opportunity to work remotely (aside from the in-person gathering), and on multiple projects.
• Training in early summer on topics tied to democratic erosion and methods of coding case studies into databases.
• A possible chance to present work to practitioners and policymakers at summer's end.

• What we ask: 

• Only available to Dartmouth non-sophomores ('26's and '28's). 
• 30-35 hours/week over the 10-week internship.
• Your creativity, energy, ideas, and work ethic.
• Advanced work and remote collaboration; self-starters only.

• Desired qualifications:

• One intern should be strong on quantitative methods and R and/or Stata, ideally with at least some social science background. The other should be knowledgeable about democracy, ideally with at least some quantitative methods.

• To apply: Either be nominated by Professors Carey or Nyhan (both affiliated with the Democratic Erosion Consortium) or self-nominate by emailing Prof. Muirhead (Russell.muirhead@dartmouth.edu) with these attachments:

• your CV
• your transcript
• a short note explaining your interest

• The application deadline is the end of the day on May 3, 2025 (or until the positions are filled).