Damian Boldt

I am a graduate student in the Political Science Department at Florida State University. Broadly speaking, my research examines questions related human rights, diplomacy, and conflict processes. In my dissertation research, I study the effects of shaming and responses to shaming, especially denial. In one paper, I examine the effect of shaming on public opinion, and various possible causal mechanisms, using a novel survey experiment in the Philippines. In a second paper, I examine the effect of denial on third party public support for costly interventions. In a third paper, I examine the effect of denials on domestic public opinion.  Extending from my dissertation, I am pursuing additional projects examining the foreign policy consequences of shaming, the effects of shaming on support for climate policy, and the generalizability of shaming across issue areas.

In a second part of my research agenda, I examine conflict between countries. In one project, I examine the effects of democratic transitions on international conflict. With Caroline Robbins, I examine the effect of regime type transitions on support for alliance commitments. Finally, in work with Mark Souva, we re-examine theoretical arguments and empirical evidence linking past actions to the onset of future conflict. 

I also address methodological questions that intersect with my substantive research interests. With Carlisle Rainey and Winston Lin, we explore the practical trade-offs of regression-based adjustment when analyzing data from survey experiments. In a second project, I develop a methodological framework for developing theoretical counterfactuals of interest when working with a time-series cross-section data generating process, and implementing those counterfactuals with estimators.