Paul Friesen

This profile was current as of 2022, when he was part of the on-campus Kellogg community.

Paul Friesen is a PhD candidate in political science and a Dissertation Year Fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, graduating July 2022. Paul’s research centers on developing an in-depth understanding of political behavior, party attachment, and electoral competition across African countries. His dissertation investigates the nature of partisanship in Botswana and Zimbabwe, and the social divides across nationalism, authority, and traditional governance between ruling and opposition parties. His peer-reviewed research has been published in Democratization, Party Politics, Scientific Reports, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, and is forthcoming at Cambridge University Press. His political analyses have been published in media outlets including the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, The Conservation, Mischiefs of Faction, and Huffington Post. 

Paul holds a BA in International Studies from Taylor University and a Master of Public Policy with a specialization in international development from Michigan State University. Prior to pursing his doctoral degree, Paul worked in Washington, DC, as a development professional and political analyst at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs on the Southern and East Africa team. He also served as a research assistant for the Afrobarometer and Varieties of Democracy projects.