Carleton Convo with Staffan Ingemar Lindberg | October 27, 2023

Staffan Ingemar Lindberg is a professor of political science, one of five principal investigators for Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), and the founding director of the V-Dem Institute through the University of Gothenburg. He delivered the convocation address, “Democracy and Autocracy Worldwide: 3rd Wave of Autocratization Escalating,” at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, October 27. His address focused on threats to democracy in the world and in the U.S., based on data analysis of current trends and the spread of far-right, anti-pluralist/liberal parties around the world.

V-Dem is a highly utilized source of democracy data thanks to its extensive and holistic collection of indexes from around the world. Lindberg is also the founding director of Demscore, research infrastructure which provides free access to some of the world’s largest data sets on democracy, environment, migration, social policy, conflict, and representation. Lindberg has co-authored the books Varieties of Democracy (2020) and Why Democracies Develop and Decline (2022) and was the editor of Democratization by Elections: A New Mode of Transition (2009). His book Democracy and Elections in Africa (2006) was awarded “Outstanding Title” by Choice Magazine in 2007. Lindberg is also the author of over 60 articles on democracy, accountability, elections, autocratization, democratization, clientelism, sequence analysis methods, women’s representation, and voting behavior, which have been featured in a wide array of journals, including AJPS, World Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Journal of Politics, Political Science Quarterly, World Development, Party Politics, European Journal of Political Research, and many more. Lindberg has also conducted a variety of research projects focused on Ghana and published on a variety of topics focused through that lens. He is an experienced consultant on development and democracy, and has worked as an advisor to international organizations, ministries, and state authorities.

Currently, Lindberg is leading several sizable research projects, including “The Case for Democracy,” “Varieties of Autocratization,” and “Failing and Successful Sequences of Democratization,” all through the University of Gothenburg and V-Dem. 

Lindberg earned his PhD at Lund University in Sweden. His dissertation was awarded the American Political Science Association’s Juan Linz Award for Best Dissertation in 2005.

He was previously a professor at Kent State University, and an assistant and associate professor at the University of Florida. He has been at the University of Gothenburg since 2010 and is a Wallenburg Academy Scholar. 

Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations