Johannes Gerschewski is a research fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and coordinates the work of the Theory Network at the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS).” He has published in academic journals including American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, and Comparative Political Studies. His book on The Two Logics of Autocratic Rule was published in April 2023 by Cambridge University Press.

During their fellowship at the Thomas Mann House, Johannes Gerschewski and Pola Lehmann will explore the value of compromise in democratic societies. Is there empirical evidence that political debates are becoming increasingly heated and polarized? What can we do to counteract this, and what are the limits of compromise?

Awards
 
2021 | Fernand Braudel Senior Fellowship, European University Institute, Florence
 
2016 | Gero Erdmann Prize for Comparative Area Studies for best dissertation in 2013 and 2014, awarded every two years by the Comparative Politics section of the German Political Science Association and the Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft

2014 | Transatlantic Fellowship, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
 
2013 | Frank Cass Prize for Best Article by a Young Scholar, awarded by the journal Democratization
 

Selected Publications

2023 | The Two Logics of Autocratic Rule. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

2021 | “Explanations of Institutional Change: Reflecting on a ‘Missing Diagonal.’” American Political Science Review 115 (1): 218–33.
 
2021 | “Erosion or Decay? Conceptualizing Causes and Mechanisms of Democratic Regression.” Democratization 28 (1): 43–62.
 
2020 | With Anja Neundorf and Roman-Gabriel Olar: “How Do Inclusionary and Exclusionary Autocracies Affect Ordinary Citizens?” Comparative Political Studies 53 (12): 1890–1925.
 
2018 | “Legitimacy in Autocracies: Oxymoron or Essential Feature?” Perspectives on Politics 16 (3): 652–65.