Academic Appointments
Associate Professor, Fall 2019 – Present
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Camden, Department of Political Science
Assistant Professor, Fall 2013 – Spring 2019
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Camden, Department of Political Science
Education
University of California, Berkeley,
PhD, Political Science, August 2013
Chair: Steve Vogel; Committee: Catherine Boone, Michael Watts, Robert Price
University of Chicago,
MA, Social Science, December 2000
Thesis Advisor: Ralph Austen
State University of New York, Purchase,
BA, Philosophy, November 1993
Research Interests
- State Development, Rural Development
- Political Institutionalization, Political Leadership,
- Ethnic Conflict, Nationalism, Populism,
- Military Politicization, Coup Politics
- African Politics
Peer-Reviewed Books
Beth Rabinowitz, Defensive Nationalism: Explaining the rise of populism and fascism in the 21st Century. Oxford University Press, April 2023.
Beth Rabinowitz, Coups, Rivals, and the Modern State: Why Rural Coalitions Matter in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cambridge University Press, February 2018.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Beth Rabinowitz, “Defensive Nationalism: Where Populism Meets Nationalism.” Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, Feb. 2022.
Beth Rabinowitz, “Ethnicity and Power in Sub-Saharan Africa: Do Colonial Institutions Still Matter?” Journal of Comparative Politics, April 2020.
Beth Rabinowitz, “More than elections: rural support and regime stability in Africa.” African Studies Review, September 2018.
Beth Rabinowitz and Paul Jargowsky, “Political Strategy and Coup Risk: The Importance of Rural Alliances in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Armed Forces and Society, April 2018.
Working Monographs
Territory & Trust: Why some countries develop their economies and others do not.
Single-Authored Original Data Sets
Beth Rabinowitz, Replication Data for “Ethnicity and Power in Sub-Saharan Africa: Do Colonial Institutions Still Matter?” Journal of Comparative Politics, April 2020
Object: To test the effects of colonial legacies on relative group power relations today.
Coding: 139 ethnic groups in 23 sub-Saharan countries on how they were positioned during the latter stages of colonialism. Four categories are included groups 1) recruited to the colonial administration 2) recruited into the military corps, 3) recruited into the colonial officer corps, 4) differentiated by special administrative policies.
Beth Rabinowitz, Replication Data for Coups, Rivals, and the Modern State: Why Rural Coalitions Matter in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cambridge University Press, April 2018.
Object: To test the importance of rural areas for political stability (measured by coups),
Coding: 135 regimes in 44 sub-Saharan countries on “Rural Political Score” (RPS), a composite index based on seven proxies that measure three dimensions: political support base, levels of decentralization, and support of chieftaincy.
Published Editorials
“Yellow journalism period offers cues to fight fake news, heal political divide” | Opinion, Special to the USA TODAY Network, January 22, 2021. https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/2021/01/22/yellow-journalism-period-offers-cues-fight-fake-news/6669130002/
“This is why we need to take QAnon’s crazy rhetoric seriously” | Opinion, nj.com, Published: Dec. 17, 2020.
https://www.nj.com/opinion/2020/12/this-is-why-we-need-to-take-qanons-crazy-rhetoric-seriously-opinion.html
Working Papers
“Territory & Trust: Why some countries develop their economies and others do not.”
“Why Now? Using Polanyi and Schumpeter as a Guide to 21st Century Populism.”
Peer Reviewer
- Democratization
- International Studies Quarterly
- Comparative Politics
- Political Behavior
- Armed Forces and Society
- African Security
Conference Presentations and Papers
“Why Now? Using Polanyi and Schumpeter as a Guide to 21st Century Populism.” Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, April 2022.
“Territory & Trust: Why some countries develop their economies and others do not.” Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, Accepted April 2022.
“Territory & Trust: Why some countries develop their economies and others do not.” American Political Science Association Annual Conference, Sept 2021.
“Why now: Understanding the spread of populism and nativism in the 21st century.” American Political Science Association Annual Conference, Sept 2021.
“Territory & Trust: Why some countries develop their economies and others do not.” Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, April 2021.
“Why now: Understanding the spread of populism and nativism in the 21st century.” Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, April 2021.
“Why now: Understanding the spread of populism and nativism in the 21st century.” Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, April 2020.
“Political vs. Power Consolidation: A New Typology of Neopatrimonial Rule.” African Studies Association, 62th Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, November 2019.
Author meets Critique: ‘Beth Rabinowitz; Coups, Rivals and the Modern State: Why Rural Coalitions Matter in Sub-Saharan Africa. African Studies Association, 61st Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA., November 2018. Chair: Catherine Boone, London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE), Scott Straus, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Jesse Ribot, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Philip Roessler, College of William and Mary.
“The Military and Democratization: Challenging Assumptions About Popular Uprisings and Regime Change.” African Studies Association, 61st Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA., November 2018.
“Political vs. Power Consolidation: A New Typology of Neopatrimonial Rule.” African Studies Association, 60th Annual Meeting, Chicago, Il., November 2017.
“Persistence Despite Change: Ethnicity and Power in Africa.” African Studies Association 58th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, December 2016.
“Persistence Despite Change: Ethnicity and Power in Africa.” American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, August 2016.
“Ethnic Salience: Bringing Institutions Back In.” American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, August 2015.
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose: ethnic power relations in post-colonial African states.” International Studies Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 2015.
“Urban-Bias and the Roots of Political Instability: The Case for the Strategic Importance of the Rural Periphery in sub-Saharan Africa.” American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 29, 2013.
Awards
- Chancellor’s Research Council Grant, Awarded 2019-2020, Rutgers University
Grants
- Research Council Grant, Awarded 2019-2020, Rutgers University
- Nomination for American Political Science Association’s Gabriel Almond Award for best dissertation in Comparative Politics, Nominated 2015
- Research Council Grant, Awarded 2014-2015, Rutgers University
- The Andrew and Mary Thompson Rocca Fellowship in Advanced African Studies, Awarded 2011-2012, University of California, Berkeley
- The Andrew and Mary Thompson Rocca Fellowship in Advanced African Studies, Awarded 2009-2010, University of California, Berkeley
- Political Science Department Finishing Fellowship, Awarded 2010, University of California, Berkeley
- Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR), Syracuse, New York, Awarded Spring 2009, Full funding to attend three-week seminar.
Published Book Reviews
Review: African Miracle, African Mirage: Transnational Politics and the Paradox of Modernization in Ivory Coast. By Abu B. Bamba, Ohio University Press, 2016. In International Journal of African Historical Studies, January 2019.
Review: Seizing power: The strategic logic of military coups. By Naunihal Singh, John Hopkins Press, 2014. In Strategybridge, November 2019.
Professional Affiliations
- International Studies Association (ISA), Member
- African Studies Association (ASA), Member
- African Politics Conference Group (APCG), Member
- American Political Science Association (APSA), Member
Teaching
Undergraduate
Political Methods, Introduction to Comparative Politics, Comparative Politics of Developing Countries, Government & Free Markets, African Politics, Classical Political Theory, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict, Industrialization and Urbanization in the Developing World, Honors Seminar
Graduate
International Economic Development, Comparative Public Policy, Logic of Social Inquiry
Guest Lecturer
African Politics, Lauder Institute, Wharton, University of Pennsylvania
University Service
Faculty Senate President, Fall 2022 –Spring 2023
Faculty Senate Vice President, Fall 2020 – Spring 2022
Faculty Senate Member, 2013, 2017 – 2020
PhD Committee, Public Policy, and Administration, Fall 2014 – Spring 2022
Gen Ed Committee Member, Global Communities Committee, Fall 2013- Spring 2014
Course Evaluation Review Committee, Political Science, 2014 – Present
NTT Merit Award Committee, Political Science 2014 – Present
Undergraduate and Graduate Student Advising