Assistant Professor · Drexel University · Department of Politics

Travis B.
Curtice

Political scientist studying repression, policing, trust, and governance in authoritarian regimes.

Travis B. Curtice

About

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics at Drexel University, where I also serve as affiliated faculty with the Center for Public Policy. Previously, I was a Niehaus Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College and a Peace Scholar Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.

I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science from Emory University, where I received the Pursuit of Excellence Award for my research. My fieldwork since 2007 in Uganda, along with policy work in Kenya, Liberia, and Burundi, anchors my scholarship in deep empirical engagement.

My research examines how repression and coercive policing shape governance, trust, and legitimacy — especially in authoritarian contexts. I have published in International Security, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, European Journal of International Relations, and Journal of Global Security Studies, among others.

I am also beginning a research agenda on the global politics of national parks and protected lands, exploring how land designations intersect with conservation, environmental politics, and human rights.

I served as Communications Director for the African Politics Conference Group of the American Political Science Association.

Book Project

Under Review at CUP

The Repression Dilemma: Trust, Political Violence, and Policing

Under Review at Cambridge University Press

Policing in non-democracies is puzzling. Police must solicit community cooperation to provide law and order, yet they are also tasked with everyday repression to deter dissent. This book provides a theoretical and empirical examination of how repression shapes public perceptions of police, explores the role of in-group bias in cooperation, and examines the implications of repression for crime and social order. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Uganda, I argue that repression decreases public support and citizen cooperation, undermining the state's capacity to deter crime and provide security.

Publications

Working Papers & Works in Progress

  • "Who Makes the State? National Ownership and International Statebuilding: Evidence from an Electoral Authoritarian Regime" — with Susanna Campbell and Yolande Bouka

  • "Securing the Ballot or the Voter: The Politics of Policing Election Violence"

  • "Neighborhood Watches and Reporting Crime in Uganda: Evidence from a List and Endorsement Experiment" — EGAP ID: 20180605AC

  • "Indigenous Sacred Sites, Environmental Risks, or Economic Costs? How Climbers Prioritize Access Restrictions" — with David P. Carter, John Flynn, and Leandra H. Hernández

  • "Moral Hypocrisy: How do Americans Want Their Leaders to Respond When United States Partners Violate Human Rights?" — with Meg K. Guliford

Media & Public Writing

Washington Post Soldiers and police are on the streets as Ugandans prepare to vote January 2021 Political Violence at a Glance Democracy in Crisis: Do Americans Support Deploying Election Monitors? November 2020 Washington Post Autocratic governments are using coronavirus as pretext to clamp down on opponents July 2020 Political Violence at a Glance The Political Backlash of Repressive Policing June 2020 Washington Post Trump wants to pull Cameroon's preferential trade status. Here's what you need to know. November 2019 Washington Post Ugandan police are attacking protesters. Here's how that backfires. January 2019 Democracy in Africa Do coups improve human rights in countries like Gabon? January 2019 Sojourners The Curse of Doing Nothing for Aleppo December 2016

Teaching

Undergraduate

  • Introduction to Comparative Politics
  • Intermediate Comparative Politics
  • Authoritarian Politics
  • Politics of Policing