Bardia Rahmani

Welcome! 

I am an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

My research focuses on political persuasion in the Global South. One strand of my work investigates how state propaganda and independent media each shape public support for authoritarian regimes. The other explores the potential for nonpartisan media campaigns to promote civic knowledge, political participation, and development. I study these topics using large-scale field experiments, survey experiments, and meta-analyses. My research has been published in The Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Behavioral Public Policy, and The Journal of Democracy.

I have received support from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL), Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), the U.S. Department of State’s Title VIII Program, and Columbia University's Unique Data Grant. I was awarded the William T.R. Fox Fellowship in Political Science (2021) and the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Family Fellowship (2022). 

I hold a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University. Prior to academia, I worked as an investigative journalist in Tajikistan and Timor-Leste. These experiences inform both my substantive interest in the media and my commitment to ensuring research is relevant and accessible to the public.