People

Gergana Dimova

Research Associate
AFFILIATION
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Dr Gergana Dimova received her PhD in political science from Harvard University and was subsequently a researcher and lecturer at the University of Cambridge and the University of Winchester in the UK. Her work is comparative and often juxtaposes established with managed or transitional democracies. Methodologically, her research bridges democratic theory with diverse empirical aspects of democracy and democratisation, which fall within three major thematic areas: (1) government accountability; (2) blame avoidance and media scandals and (3) political protests.

Her book, Democracy beyond Elections: Government Accountability in the Media Age, analyses how incumbents in different countries deal with the aftermath of allegations that have surfaced in the media. It links these claims about the media and government accountability to larger themes about the crisis and transformation of democracy.

Her latest book, Political Uncertainty: A Comparative Exploration, seeks to answer the following questions:  To what extent is uncertainty invariable and unavoidable in political life? What does political uncertainty mean for the promise of political science? Why does uncertainty arise and how is it affecting liberal and managed democracies?

Dr Dimova is the convenor of the Anti-Politics Specialist Group of the UK Political Science Association. She serves on the editorial board of the journals Democratic Theory and the Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society. She regularly consults for the European Commission and is a coding expert for V-Dem Institute in Sweden.

Gergana Dimova

Publications

Monographs:

Democracy beyond Elections: Government Accountability in the Media Age” (Palgrave London, 2019)

Political Uncertainty: A Comparative Exploration” (Ibidem Press, 2021)

 

Edited Journal Issues:

"Russia's Annexation of Crimea: Legal and Political Aspects, Part 2” Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, 2020, 6 (2).

 “Russia's Annexation of Crimea: Legal and Political Aspects, Part 1” Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, 2019, 5 (1).

 

Articles and Book Chapters:

“Democratic Procedures are not Inherently Democratic,” forthcoming in Democratic Theory, 2021, 8 (1).

“Using the Comparative Method in Democratic Theory: A Solution to the “File Drawer Problem”?” forthcoming in Comparative Democratic Theory 2021, 1(1).

Russia’s 2014 Annexation of Crimea in Historical Context: Discourses and Controversies”, Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, 2020, 6 (1).

 “Legal Loopholes and Judicial Debates: Essays on Russia’s 2014 Annexation of Crimea and Its Consequences for International Law”, Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, 2019, 5 (1)

Government Responses to Media Allegations: A Comparison between an Established and a Managed Democracy,” Global Media Journal, 2019, 9 (2).

The 2017 Anti-Corruption Protests in Romania: Causes, Mechanisms, Consequences,” Taiwan Journal of Democracy, 2019, 15 (1).

Politicizing Government Accountability: The Case of Protest Network and the Model “Who?” in Bulgaria,” in Donmez and Stranding (eds.) “Comparing Strategies of (De)Politicisation in Europe: Governance, Resistance and Anti-politics” (Palgrave Macmilian, 2018)

Investigating the Trump Scandal: Implications for Democracy and Political Risk,” Journal of Political Risk, 2017, 5 (5).

“How the Media Changed Electoral Democracy: Two Causal Paths of Interaction,” in Geidina and Kamalipou (eds.) Communicating through the Universe. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 2016.

Media Scandals: How Political Scandals Arise,” Global Media Journal, 2012, 3 (1).

Who Criticizes the Government in the Media? The Symbolic Power Model,” Observatorio (OBS*) Journal, 2012, 6 (1).

Political Accountability and Media Scandals: A Comparative Exploration,” Central European University Political Science Journal, The Graduate Student Review 2006,  1 (3).

Historical Determinants of the Post-Communist Power Relations. A Comparative Case Study of Hungary and the Former Soviet Union,” Democratizatsiya, Spring 2008

 

Media:

Cited in “Bulgarian national radio chief hits out at media interference from state”, Euronews, November 17, 2020

Bringing in the Experts: Blame Deflection and the COVID-19 Crisis,’ 3/04/2020, LSE Blog Post (with Matthew Flinders)

Anti-Politics: Anatomy of Public Anger, 30/04/2020, LSE Blog Post (with Eva Polonska)

Can you obstruct justice publicly? Political and Legal Wrongdoing in the Media Age,” 22/4/2019 UACES Collaborative Research Network

The Three Ps of Populism: Personification, Popularity and Provocation,” 5/6/2018, Global-e.

Donald Trump, Master Manipulator,” 1/2/2017, The Globalist

Pro-Russia Wins in Bulgaria and Moldova: Ideology or Pragmatism?” 7/12/2016, Global Risk Insights

Will Bulgaria Tilt to Russia?” 10/10/2016, The Atlantic Council.

Presenting an Experts’ Cabinet is a Good PR Strategy,” 30/05/2013, Interview on the Bulgarian National Radio.

The Failed Assassination against [the Turkish leader] Dogan will not have a lasting effect on Bulgarian politics,” 31/01/2013, Interview on the Bulgarian National Radio.

Having a Leader Would Help the Protesters,” 05/12/2013, Interview on the Bulgarian National Radio.

Charisma in Politics is Not What You Think It Is,” 16/11/2012, The Huffington Post.

 

Book Reviews:

The New Despotism by John Keane”, LSE Review of Books, June 20, 2020.

The Instrumentalisation of Mass Media in Electoral Authoritarian Regimes. Evidence from Russia’s Presidential Election Campaigns of 2000 and 2008. Book Review,” Europe-Asia Studies, April 2018, vol.70, No.3

Property, Predation, and Protection. Piranha Capitalism in Russia and Ukraine,” Europe Asia Studies, 2016, Vol. 68, No 3

The New Regulatory Space: Reframing Democratic Governance,” Journal of Public Policy, 2014, Vol.34, No.3 

Politics of Past Evil. Book Review,” Journal of Cold War Studies, 2008, Vol. 10, No 3