On September 6th, the Tobin Project convened ten political scientists, historians, and international relations scholars for the inaugural meeting of our research inquiry on When Democracy Breaks. This project seeks to explore past incidents of democratic collapse and identify the factors that led to decline. By investigating moments of democratic crisis, we hope to gain a better understanding of why democracies fail and how to sustain a robust democracy over time.
On August 28th and 29th, the Tobin Project’s National Security initiative held a meeting as part of our continuing work on Reassessing Threat Assessment from the early nuclear era. This research project seeks to build understanding of the practices and processes that yield accurate and reliable assessments of national security risks facing the United States.
On July 18th, the Tobin Project convened eleven historians, economists, and legal scholars for a meeting at the University of Michigan Law School on the role of the antimonopoly tradition in American democracy. Amid growing concern over the emergence of new monopolies and their implications for democracy, attendees considered potential avenues for research that could deepen public understanding of how antimonopoly law has shaped democratic outcomes throughout American history.
On May 31st and June 1st, the Tobin Project held a Graduate Student Workshop on the History of American Democracy. Nine graduate students from a range of disciplines and institutions joined Tobin staff and alumni of previous workshops to share their research projects. Participants provided input on each other’s work and considered the potential impact of their topics, which included:
On May 7th, the Tobin Project convened sixteen historians, economists, and legal scholars for the inaugural meeting of a working group on the history of American democracy. The goal of this project, organized by Tobin’s Institutions of Democracy research initiative, is to develop a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the strength and vibrancy of American democracy and how they have functioned and evolved over time.
On April 26th and 27th, the Tobin Project held a Graduate Student Workshop on Reassessing Threat Assessment. Nine graduate students from a range of disciplines and institutions joined Tobin staff and alumni of previous workshops to share their research projects. Participants provided feedback on each other’s work and considered its implications for contemporary security issues, including:
- Right-wing extremist radicalization on Twitter
The 2017 Update covers developments throughout our research areas in the past year, featuring the History of American Democracy conference, research on Reassessing Threat Assessment, a Prize on Inequality and Decision Making, and recent events as part of our Government and Markets initiative. Download it here or read it below.
The Tobin Project is currently seeking submissions to its 2018 Prize on Inequality and Decision Making. The $20,000 Prize will be awarded to a junior scholar (or scholars) for insightful and novel research on the topic of inequality and decision making. The deadline for submissions is March 5th, 2018. More information about the prize and the application process can be found here.
The Tobin Project is now accepting applications for our 2018 Graduate Student Fellowship and Workshops from doctoral and professional students conducting research on real-world problems related to our National Security and Institutions of Democracy initiatives.
The Tobin Project seeks exceptional individuals to join our collaborative and entrepreneurial team. We are currently accepting applications to the following positions: Research Analyst, Economic Inequality Research Analyst, and Case Writer. Research Analysts work with leading social scientists and Tobin Project staff on a range of projects related to our four core initiatives to generate rigorous social science research aimed at solving important problems facing society.
At a 2011 meeting for authors of the Preventing Capture volume, Sabeel Rahman (Harvard Law School) discusses an idea with Richard Revesz (NYU Law School).