Research Bio

Susan D. Hyde is a political scientist whose research examines threats to democracy, the role of regime type in international affairs, and international influences on the domestic politics of sovereign states, particularly in authoritarian regimes and transitional democracies. She is best known for her pioneering work on international election monitoring, which explores how international election observation has evolved into a powerful tool for promoting democracy in part because of its imperfect track record.

Hyde’s influential book The Pseudo-Democrat’s Dilemma demonstrated how autocratic leaders strategically adopt democratic institutions and invite international observers to bolster their credibility—often with unintended consequences. Her broader research investigates the spread of international norms, electoral manipulation and democratic accountability, how domestic and international politics interact, and field experimental research models.

An expert on democracy promotion and international political institutions, Hyde is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and a founding member and former elected Executive Director of the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) research network. She has served on editorial boards of leading political science journals and has been a residential scholar at the Brookings Institution and Princeton's Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance.

Research Expertise and Interest

election fraud, democracy promotion, elections, election violence, international norms, field experiments, foreign aid, public impact research/scholarship, community-engaged research / scholarship, research practice partnership