About

This profile was current as of 2019, when he was part of the on-campus Kellogg community.

Tahir is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. His research interests include authoritarian regimes, regime change and democratization, survey analysis, political Islam and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) politics, concentrating on Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia. In his dissertation research, he focuses on the factors behind authoritarian persistence and democratization in the MENA. In his broader research, he works on the causes of coups d'état, protest participation, survey analysis and democratization in a cross-regional perspective.

Prior to coming to Notre Dame, Tahir received his BA and MA degrees in international relations from Istanbul Bilgi University (2011) and from Koç University, Istanbul (2014) respectively. He has also studied at Sciences Po (Paris) as an exchange student.

PhD Year
2019
Thematic Interests

I am working on authoritarianism and democratization in the Middle East and North Africa. In my dissertation, I am examining the causes of authoritarian breakdown and patterns of failed and successful democratic transitions in the MENA. In side projects, I am working on authoritarian reconfiguration and survey analysis in the MENA and the link between liberalization, regime change and military takeovers.

Other Accomplishments & Recognitions

2019 - Kellogg Institute for International Studies Award for Distinguished Dissertation on Democracy and Human Development