Published Articles

Rosenfeld, Bryn. 2022. "Survey Research in Russia: In the Shadow of War." Post-Soviet Affairs 39(1-2): 38-48. [Abstract] [Download Paper

Paskhalis, Tom, Bryn Rosenfeld and Katerina Tertytchnaya. 2022. "Independent Media under Pressure: Evidence from Russia." Post-Soviet Affairs 38(3): 155-174.  [Download Paper]

Rosenfeld, Bryn. 2022. "Belarusian Public Opinion and the 2020 Uprising." Post-Soviet Affairs, 38(1-2): 150-154. [Abstract][Download Paper]

Pop-Eleches, Grigore, Graeme Robertson and Bryn Rosenfeld. 2022. "Protest Participation and Attitude Change: Evidence from Ukraine's Euromaidan Revolution." The Journal of Politics 84(2): 625-638. [Abstract] [Download Paper][Replication Archive]

Rosenfeld, Bryn. 2021. "State Dependency and the Limits of Middle Class Support for Democracy." Comparative Political Studies 54(3-4): 411-444. [Abstract][Download Paper][Replication Archive]

Chou, Winston, Kosuke Imai, and Bryn Rosenfeld. 2020. “Sensitive Survey Questions with Auxiliary Information.” Sociological Methods & Research 49(2): 418-454. [Abstract][Download Paper][Replication Archive]

A large literature expects rising middle classes to promote democracy. However, few studies provide direct evidence on this group in nondemocratic settings. This article focuses on politically important internal differentiation within the middle classes, arguing that middle class growth in state-dependent sectors weakens potential coalitions in support of democratization. I test this argument using surveys conducted at mass demonstrations in Russia and detailed population data. I also present a new approach to studying protest based on case-control methods from epidemiology. The results reveal that state sector professionals were significantly less likely to mobilize against electoral fraud, even after controlling for ideology. If this group had participated at the same rate as middle class professionals from the private sector, I estimate that another 90,000 protesters would have taken to the streets. I trace these patterns of participation to the interaction of individual resources and selective incentives. These findings have implications for authoritarian stability and democratic transitions. 

Rosenfeld, Bryn, Kosuke Imai, and Jacob N. Shapiro. 2016. “An Empirical Validation Study of Popular Survey Methodologies for Sensitive Questions.” American Journal of Political Science 60(3): 783–802. [Abstract][Download Paper][Replication Archive]

Working Papers 


Information Politics and Propaganda in Authoritarian Societies (with Jeremy Wallace; Conditionally accepted at the Annual Review of Political Science)


Anxiety and Information Seeking in an Autocracy: Lessons from the COVID Pandemic in Russia (with Grigo Pop-Eleches and Graeme Robertson, Under Review) [Abstract][Download Paper


Risk Attitudes and Political Participation under Authoritarian Rule [Abstract]


Repression, Emotions and Legitimacy: Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Russia (with Grigo Pop-Eleches, Graeme Robertson and Samuel Greene)


Polarization and Support for Undemocratic Behavior: The Case of Russia (with Yunus Orhan, John Reuter, and David Szakonyi) [Abstract][Download Paper]


Public Sector Independence and Democratic Backsliding (with Frances Cayton, Under Review)


Identity Change in Times of Crisis: How Russian Aggression Has Shaped Ukrainian Identity from Donbas to the Full-Scale Invasion (with Grigo Pop-Eleches and Graeme Robertson)

A Case-Control Method for Studying Protest Participation and Other Rare Events [Abstract]