Daniel Treisman

Daniel Treisman is a professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, with expertise in Russian politics, comparative political economy, authoritarianism, and democratization. A graduate of Oxford University and Harvard University, Treisman has authored or co-authored five books and numerous articles in academic journals such as The American Political Science Review and The American Economic Review. His works, including "The Return: Russia’s Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev" and "Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century," have contributed to scholarly and policy discussions on the evolution of political systems and the dynamics of modern autocracies.

Treisman has held editorial and advisory roles, serving as lead editor of The American Political Science Review and contributing to the editorial boards of several journals in political science and economics. He has consulted for international organizations, including the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and USAID. In Russia, he is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Higher School of Economics and the Jury of the National Prize in Applied Economics.

A recipient of fellowships such as the Guggenheim and Andrew Carnegie Fellowships, Treisman has held visiting appointments at the Hoover Institution and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford. He directs the Russia Political Insight Project, an international collaboration investigating political decision-making in contemporary Russia. Treisman’s scholarship, public commentary in outlets like Foreign Affairs and The Washington Post, and leadership in research initiatives position him as an authority on global political trends and challenges.