Janet I. Lewis

Areas of Expertise

Political violence; ethnic conflict; state formation; Africa

Current Research

Professor Lewis's book, "How Insurgency Begins: Rebel Group Formation in Uganda and Beyond," was published in 2020 (Cambridge University Press, Studies in Comparative Politics Series). It examines why and how rebel groups form, with a focus on why many groups fail in the early stages, and what ethnicity has to do with it. It was recommended as a best book of 2020 at the online magazine Political Violence @ A Glance.

In addition to continuing research on the start of armed conflict, her other projects seek to understand how information and beliefs travel through word-of-mouth networks in rural communities, and how states administer and monitor their peripheral regions. Her research articles have won several major awards.

Education

Ph.D., M.A. in Government, Harvard University

M.A. in International Policy Studies; B.A. (with honors) in Political Science, Stanford University

CV (PDF)

Publications

“Measuring Networks in the Field.” 2019. (with Jennifer M. Larson). Political Science Research and Methods. DOI: 10.1017/psrm.2019.5

“Rumors, Kinship Networks, and Rebel Group Formation” (with Jennifer M. Larson). 2018. International Organization. 72(Fall): 871–903.

“How Does Ethnic Rebellion Start?” 2017. Comparative Political Studies. 50(10): 1420-1450.

“Ethnic Networks” (w/ Jennifer M. Larson). 2017. American Journal of Political Science. 61(2): 350–364.

“When Decentralization Leads to Recentralization: Subnational State Transformation in Uganda.” 2014. Regional & Federal Studies. 24(5): 571-588.

“Administrative Unit Proliferation” (with Guy Grossman). 2014. American Political Science Review. 108(1): 196-207.

Office Hours

Varies, sign up at: https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/ldzzx

Classes Taught

Political Violence (Undergrad level - PSC 3192W) 

Political Violence (Ph.D. level - PSC 8388)