I study the democratic implications of identity, with an emphasis on understanding the psychological mechanisms driving both voter and elite behavior. Broadly speaking, I study how political representation along identity lines affects behavior and attitudes, as well as the causes and consequences of discrimination and bias. In published and working papers, I study the way that identities affect important political and economic outcomes, such as democratic legitimacy, ethnic conflict, discrimination-based welfare deficits, polarization, the dynamics of policymaking, labor market participation, and vote-choice. My work is published in The Journal of Politics, Political Science Research and Methods, and Political Behavior.
Courses
PS 1233 Political Psychology
PS 1281 American Capstone: Identity in American Politics
PS 2230 Political Psychology
PS 1204 Women in Politics
Education & Training
- PhD, New York University, 2017
Representative Publications
West, Emily A. and Shanto Iyengar. \Partisanship as a Social Identity: Implications for Polarization." 2022. Political Behavior. 44: 807-838.
• Cited by the European Union (EU) Report: \Values and Identities: A Policymaker's Guide"
• Highlighted in an article on The Conversation: \Understanding why people reject science
could lead to solutions for rebuilding trust."
• Highlighted in an article onWashington Post: \What did we learn from the 2022 U.S. midterm
elections?"
Ban, Pamela, Justin Grimmer, Jaclyn Kaslovsky, and Emily A. West. "How Does the Rising Number of Women in the U.S. Congress Change Deliberation? Evidence from House Committee
Hearings." 2022. Quarterly Journal of Political Science. 17(3): 355-387
West, Emily A. "In-Group Bias, Partisanship and Gendered Voting." 2022. Political Psychology. 43(6): 1147-1168.
West, Emily A. and Dominik Duell. "How Descriptive Representation Increases Women's Labor Market Participation" Forthcoming. Political Behavior.
Fraga, Bernard, Yamil Velez and Emily A. West. "Reversion to the Mean, or their Version of the Dream? An Analysis of Latino Voting in 2020." 2025. American Political Science Review.
• Highlighted in Thomas B. Edsall's NYT OpEd: The `Sleeping Giant' That May Decide the Midterms
Baron, Hannah, Robert A. Blair, Donghyun Danny Choi, Laura Gamboa, Jessica Gottlieb, Amanda Lea Robinson, Steven C. Rosenzweig, Megan M. Turnbull, and Emily A. West.\Couples " "Couples Therapy for a Divided America: Assessing the Effects of Reciprocal Group Reflection on Partisan Polarization." 2025. Political Behavior.
• Highlighted in Evidence in Government and Politics (EGAP) Q&A with Members Series
