DAMIEN BOL
Sciences Po Paris
I'm a Political Scientist in the Department of Political Science of Sciences Po Paris. Before that, I worked at King's College London and the University of Montreal.
My research lies in comparative political behavior. I study how individuals experience and evaluate democracy, including its institutions and core values. Methodologically, I specialize in surveys and experiments, often conducted in Belgium, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom, which are my main countries of expertise. While I am a political scientist by training, I frequently collaborate with economists, particularly social choice theorists and behavioral economists, to bridge the two disciplines. I've published over 50 papers in a range of journals in political science and economics.
Beyond research, I also enjoy helping build academic communities. Between 2019 and 2023, I was the Director of the Quantitative Political Economy Group at King's College London, which gathered around 50 faculty members and PhD students. Since 2024, I direct the French Electoral Studies Network (REEF, Réseau d’Études Électorales en France), bringing together about 200 researchers across social sciences and from dozens of universities to coordinate data collection across institutions and disciplines for the upcoming French electoral cycle.
I sometimes try to participate in the public debate in France and elsewhere, particularly on issues related to how people experience and evaluate democracy and its institutions, see for example this television interview on France 3 and these op-eds in Le Monde.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
(for a full list, see here)
- (2026) Renewing Democracy: How Exposure to Electoral Turnovers Reinforces Citizens' Democratic Support. World Politics
- (2023) Public Support for Citizens' Assemblies Selected through Sortition: Evidence from 15 Countries. European Journal of Political Research
- (2022) Does the Number of Candidates Increase Turnout? Causal Evidence From Two-Round Elections. Political Behavior
- (2021) Estimating Humanity’s Attitudes About Democracy and Political Leaders: Patterns and Trends. Public Opinion Quarterly
- (2021) The Effect of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Political Support: Some Good News for Democracy? European Journal of Political Research
- (2019) Electoral Rules, Strategic Entry, and Polarization. Journal of Public Economics