Dr. Dean Schafer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. Previously he was a Postdoctoral researcher at the Central European University’s Democracy Institute with the EU Horizon project “Neo-Authoritarianisms in Europe.”

He uses data science methods (large language models, web scraping, text and network analysis) to measure elite attitudes and shifts in their coalitions over time. Broadly, his research interests include democracy & authoritarianism, political parties, political economy, and the Middle East, with a specialization in Turkey.

His work has been published in Party Politics, South European Society and Politics, and Nationalities Papers, as well as public-facing outlets including The Democracy Paradox and Foreign Policy in Focus.

https://www.deanschafer.com/