My research broadly focuses on the politics of authoritarianism and regime transformation. I am particularly interested in how domestic institutions and actors interact with international concerns to shape the behavior of authoritarian regimes. I currently serve as an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Kentucky and as a Research Fellow with the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute.
As a consultant, I have provided expertise on democratic governance, program initiation, survey design, and impact assessment for organizations like USAID (RIP), the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
I am a first-generation college graduate and scholar. In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing, reading science fiction, and hiking with my dogs Simcoe and Barley. My preferred pronouns are She/Her or They/Them.
For official inquiries related to my roles at the University of Kentucky, please contact me at ab.edgell@uky.edu. For consulting or other non-UA matters, please use abedgell@gmail.com.
Amanda B. Edgell 