Prof. Noam Lupu
Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University, USA
Profile
ACADEMIC HOST
Prof. Lior Sheffer
Political science studies
IAS Distinguished Scholar
Spring Semester 2025/2026
Education
- B.A. in Political Science and History (Honors), Columbia University (2002)
- M.A. in Social Science, University of Chicago (2005)
- M.A. in Politics, Princeton University (2008)
- Ph.D. in Politics, Princeton University (2011)
Professional Experience
- Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University (2024–present)
- Director, Center for Global Democracy and LAPOP Lab, Vanderbilt University (2024–present)
- Associate Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University (2016–2024)
- Associate Director, LAPOP Lab, Vanderbilt University (2016–2024)
- Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison (2013–2016)
- Nina Maria Gorrissen Fellow in History, American Academy in Berlin (2024)
- Visiting Scholar, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University (2023)
- Visiting Professor, Torcuato Di Tella University, Argentina (2015; 2023)
- Visiting Scholar, University of Geneva (2020)
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Juan March Institute, Spain (2012–2013)
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame (2011)
Selected Honors and Awards
- Lijphart/Przeworski/Verba Dataset Award, APSA (2025)
- Honorable Mention, Best Paper Award, APSA Democracy & Autocracy Section (2025)
- Braun Award, WAPOR Latin America (2024)
- Lawrence Longley Award, APSA (2023)
- Theda Skocpol Prize for Emerging Scholars, APSA (2021)
- Emerging Scholar Award, APSA Elections Section (2021)
- Gregory Leubbert Article Award, APSA (2018)
- Lijphart/Przeworski/Verba Dataset Award, APSA (2018)
- Jack Walker Award, APSA (2016)
- Alexander L. George Article Award, APSA (2015)
- GESIS Klingemann Prize (2015)
- Emerging Scholar Award, APSA Political Organizations and Parties Section (2014)
- Sage Paper Award, APSA (2013)
- Gabriel A. Almond Award, APSA (2012)
- Juan Linz Prize, APSA (2012)
- Honorable Mention, Sage Paper Award, APSA (2011)
Research Interests
- Comparative politics
- Political representation and inequality
- Democratic responsiveness
- Political parties and party systems
- Public opinion and survey methodology
- Political violence and democratic attitudes
Research Contributions
- Pioneering research on unequal political representation and the economic backgrounds of politicians
- Foundational work on party brands, partisan erosion, and party system breakdown in Latin America
- Major contributions to comparative research on democratic responsiveness and inequality
- Co-creator of the Global Legislators Database, advancing cross-national research on legislators’ backgrounds
- Extensive applied research on public opinion, corruption, political violence, and democratic attitudes in the Americas
Faculty
Social Sciences
Framework of visit
IAS Distinguished ScholarsPeriod of visit
Current YearSelected Publications
- Keeping Workers Off the Ballot: How Democracy Undermines Working-Class Representation (with Nicholas Carnes), Princeton University Press (forthcoming, 2026)
- Unequal Democracies: Public Policy, Responsiveness, and Redistribution in an Era of Rising Economic Inequality (co-edited), Cambridge University Press (2024)
- Campaigns and Voters in Developing Democracies (co-edited), University of Michigan Press (2019)
- Party Brands in Crisis: Partisanship, Brand Dilution, and the Breakdown of Political Parties in Latin America, Cambridge University Press (2016)
