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Paul Atwell

Paul Atwell headshot

Paul Atwell

Assistant Professor

atwell.54@osu.edu

2127 Derby Hall

Biography

Paul’s research focuses mainly on the Global South, exploring the intersection of identity and social psychology to understand electoral politics, public opinion, and social change. 

Paul joined Ohio State University as an Assistant Professor in 2025. Previously, he was a post-doctoral researcher at the Juan March Institute at The University of Carlos III in Madrid. His Ph.D. in Public Policy and Political Science is from the University of Michigan (2023). He did his B.Sc. at the University of Wisconsin in Political Science, making OSU his third stop in the Big 10.

His research draws on methods and theory from across political science, economics, and sociology. His work focuses on identity, social psychology, and information processing in electoral politics—mainly in Africa, but also in other settings. Employing experimental and observational approaches, Atwell investigates how parties, culture, and psychology influence voters.  His research has been published in the American Economic Review and the American Journal of Political Science. His general interests include electoral accountability, development policy, collective action dynamics, political geography, social network analysis, and more. 

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Comparative Politics