About Me

I am a political science PhD Candidate at Emory University and currently a Laney Graduate School Dean's Teaching Fellow (2026-2027). My research investigates how autocrats share power and bargain with elites under different state constraints, how those constraints change, and how the outcomes of those bargains impact the political behavior of non-elites. I rely on archival data mixed with causal inferential empirics to study these dynamics in medieval England, early modern Europe, Imperial Vietnam, and the Jim Crow Era American South. 

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My work relies heavily on novel data collection, which has been supported by the Emory University Prudentis Fund and the Institute for Humane Studies.

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Prior to my PhD, I was a research analyst at EAB where I worked on projects supporting university revenue growth and public school district leaders with curriculum and skills assessment.   

 

When not reading through medieval documents or fixing error messages in my code, I enjoy diving around a volleyball court, backpacking, Egyptology, and writing poetry that would disappoint my high school English teacher.

 

My email is: bradley.erickson@emory.edu