Spring 2016 Grant Recipient
Graduate Student
Samuel Henry Plapinger (Politics) My dissertation investigates the topic of insurgent organizational effectiveness in civil wars. Motivated by the rapid rise of ISIS over its rivals in the Syrian Civil War, I ask why some insurgent groups perform better than others during internal conflicts. I argue that the relative rigor of insurgent recruitment practices shapes a group's ultimate ability to perform effectively during conflict, and substantiate this theory through both case studies and statistical analysis. The Center's generous support will fund the final fieldwork phase of this project in Summer 2016.