My research examines political institutions, democratic processes, and African politics, with a particular focus on courts and legislatures in the African context. I study the types of institutions incumbents in hybrid regimes use to remain in power, the conditions under which these institutions are able to resist executive pressure, and whether and how citizens perceive these institutional manipulations.
Book project
Judicial Resistance: How Judges Can Save Democracy (manuscript in progress)
Publications
Gerzso, Thalia. “A Two-Headed Creature: Bicameralism in African Autocracies.” Comparative Politics 56.4 (2024): 495-515.
Gerzso, Thalia. “Judicial resistance during electoral disputes: Evidence from Kenya.” Electoral Studies 85 (2023): 102653.
Gerzso, Thalia, and Nicolas van de Walle. “The Politics of Legislative Expansion in Africa.” Comparative Political Studies (2022): 00104140221074277.
Book Chapters:
Gloppen, Siri, Thalia Gerzso, and Nicolas van de Walle. “Constitutional, Administrative, Judicial, and Discursive Lawfare.” Democratic Backsliding in Africa? (2023): 58.
Gerzso, Thalia, et al. “The potential of mixed methods for qualitative research.” Doing Good Qualitative Research (2024): 72-84.
Working papers:
- How do Domestic Legal Institutions affect Public Support for Judicial Power? Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa (with Sivaram Cheruvu)
- How does Education affect Public Support for Judicial Power in Hybrid Regimes
- Democratic Self-Defense: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa (with Rachel Beatty Riedl & Paul Friesen)
- Institutional Trust in Authoritarian Regimes: Evidence from the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission
Thalia Gerzso 