David Szakonyi

My research focuses on corruption, clientelism, and political economy in Russia, Western Europe, and the United States. My book -- Politics for Profit: Business, Elections, and Policymaking in Russia (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics, 2020) -- examines why business people run for elected political office worldwide, how their firms perform as a result, and whether individuals with private sector experience make different policy decisions. Other research looks at the effectiveness of anti-corruption campaigns, employers mobilizing their voters to turnout during elections, and nepotism under authoritarian rule. I have appeared on multiple international and local television networks to discuss my research, as well as have published in both top academic and popular media outlets. In 2020, I co-founded the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, a new initiative bringing together journalists, data analysts, academics and policy advocates to expose corruption in developed countries. Our investigative work has been published in the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, the Daily Beast, and the Miami Herald, among other outlets. In addition, I am a Research Fellow at the International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.