AVITAL LIVNY

Stanford University abqaps@r.postjobfree.com

Department of Political Science www.stanford.edu/~alivny

*** ***** ******, **** *** Tel: 650-***-****

Stanford, CA 94305-6044 Fax: 650-***-****

EDUCATION

Stanford University (Stanford, CA)

Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science (advanced to candidacy September 2008)

Fields: Comparative Politics, Political Organizations, Political Methodology

Advisors: Lisa Blaydes, David Laitin (chair), Jeremy Weinstein

M.A. in Political Science (September 2008)

Oxford University (Oxford, United Kingdom)

M.Sc. with distinction in Comparative Politics Research Methods (September 2006)

M.Phil. with high honors in Modern Middle Eastern Studies (August 2005)

Advisors: Walter Armbrust, Philip Robins (chair)

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

B.A. summa cum laude in Political Science, History, and Near Eastern Studies (May 2002)

Advisors: John Carey, Sunita Parikh, Itai Sened

RESEARCH

Dissertation A State of Distrust: Islamic Mobilization in Turkey and the Muslim World

Existing literature on Islam s growing significance for socio-economic cooperation and

political mobilization in the Muslim World contends that the comparative advantage of

Islamic-based movements lies in the intensity of their supporters religious beliefs.

Finding little evidence of an association between personal piety and political Islam in the

Turkish case, I present an alternative theory of Islam s appeal. I document the high level

of generalized distrust in the Muslim World distrust that represents an obstacle to

collective political action, economic transactions, and democratic stability and find its

source in over-regulation by the state in many Muslim countries. In this distrusting

environment, religious references made by Islamic groups are successful in mobilizing the

public because they leverage expectations of trust among individuals with a shared

religious identity, signaled and strengthened through their participation in collective

religious activities. I offer evidence for both the sources of distrust and how Islamic

groups help to create trust using survey-based data and experimental methods, at the

individual-level, as well as observational data within Turkey and cross-nationally.

Work in Progress

Regulation, Trust, and Growth (under review)

In Allah We Trust? Islamic Activism as Collective Action

Faith in the Electorate: Islam s Solution to Vote Volatility in Turkey

Pseudo-Integration of Firms in a Religious Community: The Case of M S AD

Trust in Faith: Service Attendance and Political Participation among Muslims and

Catholics

The Inclusion Effect: Explaining Moderation Among Extremist Groups in the Middle

East (with Karen Eva Fraiman and Aila M. Matanock)

Avital Livny 2

FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS AND AWARDS

Mellon Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Stanford

Humanities Center (AY 2012-2013)

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Dissertation Research Fellowship, United States

Department of Education (AY 2011-2012)

Graduate Research Opportunity (GRO) Grant in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Stanford

University (Fall 2011) ($4000)

Graduate Student Field Research Grant, Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford

University (Summer 2010) ($3000)

Critical Language Scholarship for Intensive Summer Language Study. United States Department

of State (Summer 2008)

Political Science Graduate Student Fellowship, Stanford University (2006-2011)

Sir. H. W. Bailey Prize for Excellence in Asian Studies, St. Catherine s College, Oxford

University (AY 2004-2005)

Phi Beta Kappa, Missouri Beta Chapter

SELECTED CONFERENCE PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS

A State of Distrust: Islamic Mobilization and State Repression in the Muslim World to be

presented at the American Political Science Association 2012 Annual Meeting, August-

September 2012 (New Orleans, LA)

Electoral Volatility and Distrust among Voters: Why Ethnic and Religious Parties Succeed and

Remain to be presented at the American Political Science Association 2012 Annual Meeting,

August-September 2012 (New Orleans, LA)

Faith in the Electorate: Islam s Solution to Vote Volatility in Turkey presented at the 2012

Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics and Society (IRES) Graduate Student Workshop,

June 2012 (Orange, CA); and at the American Research Institute in Turkey, June 2012

(Istanbul, Turkey)

In Allah We Trust? Islamic Activism as Collective Action presented at the International

Conference on Islam, April 2012 (Madison, WI); and at the annual meeting of the Association

for Analytic Learning on Islam and Muslim Societies (AALIMS), April 2012 (Stanford, CA)

Regulation, Trust, and Growth presented at the Midwest Political Science Association

National Conference, April 2012 (Chicago, IL)

The Inclusion Effect: Explaining Moderation Among Extremist Groups in the Middle East

(with Keren Eva Fraiman and Aila M. Matanock) presented at the Midwest Political

Science Association National Conference, April 2010 (Chicago, IL)

The Rational National? What Collective Identities Do, and How They Do It Differently

presented at the Stanford University Comparative Politics Workshop, March 2010 (Stanford,

CA)

When Niche Parties Go Mainstream: The Case of the Islamist AKP in Turkey presented at

the Berkeley-Stanford Comparative Politics Workshop, April 2009 (Berkeley, CA)

When Losers Become Winners: Explaining Electoral Revolutions presented at the Stanford

University Comparative Politics Workshop, April 2009 (Stanford, CA)

Avital Livny 3

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Grading Assistant, Organizations and Public Policy, Prof. Jonathan Bendor (Spring 2011,

Spring 2012)

Graduate Student Mentor, Stanford University Chicano Center Undergraduate

Honors Thesis Program (2010-2011)

Teaching Assistant, Middle East Politics, Prof. Lisa Blaydes (Winter 2011; Winter 2008)

Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Comparative Politics, Prof. Jeremy Weinstein (Spring 2009)

Teaching Assistant, Justice at Home and Abroad, Prof. Robert Reich (Fall 2008)

Teaching Assistant, Ethics and Politics of Public Service, Prof. Robert Reich (Fall 2007)

OTHER EXPERIENCE

Konda Research and Consultancy (Istanbul, Turkey)

Affiliated Researcher (May-December 2012)

Designed and implemented original survey as part of KONDA Barometer project across

thirty Turkish provinces (September 2012)

Ko University (Istanbul, Turkey)

Affiliated Researcher (June-August 2010; September 2011-June 2012)

Implemented behavioral experiments in collaboration with Prof. Seda Erta (Department

of Economics)

Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (Stanford, CA)

Research Assistant for Prof. Judy Goldstein (June-September 2009)

Analyzed survey data on risk aversion and trade openness

Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (Stanford, CA)

Research Assistant for Prof. Jeremy Weinstein (October 2007-March 2008)

Reviewed and discussed relevant literature on post-revolutionary state-building and

democratization

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Political Science

Research Assistant for Prof. Michael Barnett (June-September 2001)

Gathered data on the work of American political consultants in international elections;

contributed to Barnett and Pevehouse, Exporting the American Way of Elections

UNIVERSITY SERVICE AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Student Fellow, Analytic Learning on Islam and Muslim Societies (AALIMS) (2012-present)

Reviewer, American Journal of Political Science

Participant, Imperial Legacies Workshop, Mediterranean Studies, Stanford University (2010-11)

Participant and Discussant, Stanford Political Science Comparative Politics Workshop

Discussant for Steven Fish Muslims, Men, and Attitudes toward Sex-Based

Inequality (with Danielle Lussier) (March 2011)

Discussant for Kathleen Bawn How Government Status Changes the Impact of

Policy Position on Vote Share (April 2009)

Discussant for Scott E. Page Can Game(s) Theory Explain Culture? (with Jenna

Bednar) (January, 2008)

Avital Livny 4

Participant and Presenter, Berkeley-Stanford Comparative Politics Workshop (2007-2009)

President, Middle Common Room, St. Catherine s College, Oxford University (2004-2005)

Member, American Political Science Association (2007-present)

Member, Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (2011-present)

Member, Middle East Studies Association (2009-present)

Member, Midwest Political Science Association (2008-present)

LANGUAGES AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING

English (native), Hebrew (native), Modern Turkish (advanced), Modern Standard Arabic

(intermediate), French (intermediate)

Intensive Course in Advanced Turkish (Summer 2008)

Bo azi i University, Turkish Language and Culture Program

Sponsored by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, Critical Language

Scholarship, United States Department of State

Intensive Course in Intermediate Turkish (Summer 2004)

Bo azi i University, Turkish Language and Culture Program

REFERENCES

Lisa Blaydes

Assistant Professor of Political Science

Stanford University

650-***-****

abqaps@r.postjobfree.com

David Laitin (chair)

James T. Watkins IV and Elise V. Watkins Professor of Political Science

Stanford University

650-***-****

abqaps@r.postjobfree.com

Jeremy Weinstein

Associate Professor of Political Science

Stanford University

650-***-****

abqaps@r.postjobfree.com

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