I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego, and the Herb York Fellow at the Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation. I use formal theory, historical case studies, survey experiments, and large-n data to analyze how and why political actors withold, share, and frame information.
Much of my research relates to international security and the causes of war: why do countries conceal evidence of their military strength from potential rivals, how can domestic constraints compel leaders to adopt aggressive foreign policies, how do powerful countries motivate proxy states to cooperate on security concerns, and why might the threat of civil violence encourage good governance?
Some of my work also addresses political communication in domestic settings. In one project I examine whether journalists adjust the tone or content of their questions in accordance with the gender and political affiliation of their interview subject. In other papers I argue that politicians can claim political credit by renaming rather than terminating federal agencies and, separately, evaluate why societies abandon long-held social norms. Finally, before joining UCSD I worked as a debate coach for Lewis & Clark College. As such, some of my early research relates to argumentation theory and pedagogy.
I am grateful for support from the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Population Council, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
If you have questions or wish to contact me, please email bmerrell@ucsd.edu.
University of California, San Diego
Southern Illinois University
Western Kentucky University
Lewis & Clark College
"Debate across the Disciplines: Structured Classroom Debates in Interdisciplinary Curricula"
"Back to its Roots: Accuracy as the Litmus Test for Topicality"
"The Intersection of Competitions and Classrooms in Forensics Pedagogy"
"Denmark, 1940-1945: Armed Resistance and Agency Slippage in Germany's Model Protectorate"
"Illegal Wildlife Trafficking - The Unseen Environmental Harms"
"The Secrecy Gambit: Clandestine Power Shifts and Preventive Conflict"
"Media Bias in Presidential Press Questions"
"Renaming and Credit Claiming in Federal Agencies"
"Unprogrammed Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting"
"The Agency Dilemma in Crisis Decision Making"
"Monopolies of Violence? A Theory of Civil Conflict and Statebuilding"
Analyzing Politics
Applied Data Analysis for Political Science
Crisis Areas in World Politics
International Crisis Diplomacy
Introduction to American Politics
Mathematical and Statistical Foundations (graduate, x2)
Discussion Sections:
Research Advising:
East Asian Thought (x2)
Insurgency and Terrorism
Politics and Warfare
Supreme Court & Constitution
United States Foreign Policy
War and Society (x2)
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Brandon Merrell
University of California, San Diego
Department of Political Science
Social Sciences Building 301
9500 Gilman Drive, 0521
La Jolla, CA 92093-0521
Email: bmerrell@ucsd.edu
Homepage: www.brandonmerrell.com
Office: Social Science Building 341