Daniel Pemstein, associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science, has co-written a recently-published book titled “Varieties of Democracy: Measuring Two Centuries of Political Change.” The book was published by Cambridge University Press.

The work is the product of the Varieties of Democracy Project, known as V-Dem. Pemstein is a member of the V-Dem Project’s Steering Committee and the project manager for Measurement Methods.

The project is an ambitious data collection effort in comparative politics, involving a team of more than 50 social scientists on six continents and employing more than 3,000 country experts. The V-Dem Project has sparked dramatic change in how the social sciences study the nature, causes and consequences of democracy.

According to one review, the book “has set a new baseline for discussions in this field.” The book offers new ways for teachers, students, researchers and journalists to use V-Dem data in education, research, news analysis, policy work and advocacy.

“This book is a monumental achievement and is part of a truly ground-breaking project,” said Thomas Ambrosio, professor of political science. “It is a credit to NDSU that Dr. Pemstein is here.”

Other co-authors include Michael Coppedge, University of Notre Dame, Indiana; John Gerring, University of Texas, Austin; Adam Glynn, Emory University, Atlanta; Carl Henrik Knutsen, Universitetet i Oslo; Staffan I. Lindberg, Göteborgs Universitet, Sweden; Brigitte Seim, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Svend-Erik Skaaning, Aarhus Universitet, Denmark; and Jan Teorell, Lunds Universitet, Sweden.

Pemstein, who joined the NDSU faculty in 2012, earned his bachelor’s degree at Washington University, St. Louis; and master’s degree and doctorate in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a fellow of the NDSU Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth.

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