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Below are a list of projects I am currently working on. If you are interested in working with me on one of these projects and believe you have the skill set to be helpful and the intellectual curiosity to learn from the experience, please apply below to join the Fridy Lab. Deadline to apply for independent studies is two months before the semester in which the indepedent study will occur. Most successful applicatants must meet the minimum criteria for an independent study in Political Science. Though only one application per student will be considered per semester, students are welcome to apply every semester.

Applicants who can combine their applications with funding proposals for the Undergraduate Research Initiative, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, APSA Small Research Grant, or other external funding opportunities will be given preference. As these opportunities have varying deadlines, you are encouraged to plan ahead and let me know of your intentions to apply in advance. All applicants will be notified, both those accepted into the Fridy Lab and those encouraged to reapply for a later cycle.

A successful term in the Fridy Lab will result in research paper presented at a relevant conference or external grant application submitted for funding. A very successful term will result in a peer-reviewed publication.

APPLICATION

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CURRENT PROJECTS:

* Electoral Cleavages – Sub-national election data from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire going back to independence is combined with census data to discern why a prominent North/South cleavage occurs in some countries but not others. Data needs some cleaning an updated analysis but it is all there.

* Environmental Politics - I am beginning a new project on environmentalists in developing countries and interested in exploring themes and data around this topic. This is really preliminary stuff so we could take this in multiple directions.

* Governance and Security – Large N data set on Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Mali collected in 2019 and 2022. Looks at questions of governance, terrorism, and great power competition. There are so many questions I cannot possibly cover them all so there are lots of opportunities for side projects..

* Nangodi Institute – Small research institute located in rural northern Ghana interested in hosting student funded research grants. Researchers at the institute have a wide array of skills so as long as your research can be done in northern Ghana or Burkina Faso the discipline of the research can very likely be accomodated.

* Miscellaneous – I have not had great success with student-initiated projects. It is rare for an undergraduate to have a depth of theoretical background and access to innovative data necessary to produce a publishable project from scratch. It is not impossible though. If you think you have something cool and think I could contribute in meaningful ways, feel free to pitch it.

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ALUMNI:

Allison Bednar (2020/21)
"REDD+ and Its Effectiveness in Conserving Africa's Forests"
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the MPSA.

Joellen Callahan (2023/24)
"Predicting Environmental Activism in the Global South"
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the SPSA

Ariana Ferraro (2019/20)
"Burkinabè Personality Traits and Support for Vigilantism"
Paper accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the MPSA.

Julia Ingram (2019/20)
"Class and Access to Governance in Burkina Faso"
Paper accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the MPSA and subsequently published as a book chapter.

Cheyenne Lee (2019/20)
"Gender and Perceptions of Security among Burkinabè"
Paper accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the MPSA.

Grace Magnacca (2023/24)
"Predicting Environmental Activism in the Global South"
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the SPSA

Caroline Petty-Kane (2023/24)
"Predicting Environmental Activism in the Global South"
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the SPSA