Courtenay Conrad

Courtenay Conrad is an associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Political Science at the University of California Merced. She also serves as the International Relations Field Editor for the Journal of Politics.

Her primary research and teaching interests include political violence and human rights, particularly on how repressive agents make decisions in the face of domestic and international institutional constraints. She is also interested in international organizations, with a particular focus on legislative procedure in the United Nations. Her most recent work focuses on the effect of law on police violence in the United States and abroad. Her book, Contentious Compliance: Dissent and Repression Under International Human Rights Law (with Emily Hencken Ritter), was published in 2019 by Oxford University Press.

Conrad’s research has been published in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and Journal of Peace Research, among others. She received her MS and PhD in political science from Florida State University.

Recent Publications

Implications of COVID-19 for Global (In)Stability
June 4, 2020 | IGCC Researchers Respond
Is the COVID-19 crisis comparable to any other crisis in history? What are the biggest dangers ahead? And what should be the role of the state and international organizations in responding? Experts from across the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation weigh in.

• political violence
• human rights
• international organizations
• comparative political institutions