My research interests center on electoral accountability and representation during challenges to good governance and subpar democratic performance. In much of my research, I explore how corruption shapes voter behavior, elite behavior, and representation. I study when and why voters enact electoral accountability against political elites for corruption as well as the strategies that corrupt elites use to evade accountability and maintain voter loyalty. I also work on the intersection of corruption and gender, studying how women’s representation and gender stereotypes influence voters’ reactions to malfeasance. As a postdoc with Fem-LEAD, I explore how environmental disasters and weather-related crises in the Global South impact the supply of and demand for women in political office. My research has been published in Political Behavior and Electoral Studies.

I use various quantitative methods in my research including survey experiments, large scale statistical analyses, and text analysis. I also rely on qualitative data collected in the field. In Fall 2022, I conducted elite and expert interviews in Buenos Aires, Argentina for my dissertation.

Prior to Rice, I earned my B.A. in Political Science and Spanish (double major, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) at The University of Alabama. I received my M.A. in Political Science from Rice University in 2020.

You can contact me via email at emily.elia(at)gu.se and find me on Twitter at @Emily_Elia and on Bluesky at @emilyelia.bsky.social.