Alastair Smith

Alastair Smith is the Bernhardt Denmark Chair of International Relations and a professor of politics at New York University. He studied chemistry at the University of Oxford before earning a PhD in political science from the University of Rochester. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2013.

Smith writes political science for both academic and general audiences. His recurring subject is political survival: how leaders choose policies, distribute resources and manage supporters in order to remain in office. His work spans international relations, comparative politics and political economy, often combining formal models with historical cases and cross-national evidence.

With Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Randolph M. Siverson and James D. Morrow, he coauthored The Logic of Political Survival, an extensive presentation of selectorate theory. His other books include Election Timing and, with Fiona McGillivray, Punishing the Prince. Smith received the International Studies Association’s Karl Deutsch Award in 2005.

The best starting point is The Dictator’s Handbook, written with Bueno de Mesquita. It recasts the pair’s ideas for a broad readership, arguing that dictators and democrats alike must retain a decisive group of supporters. From there, readers wanting the fuller scholarly framework can turn to The Logic of Political Survival.