Greetings. I am associate professor of political science at the University of Florida. I received my PhD in political science from the University of Washington in 2002. My current research focuses on ethnic conflict and the politics of resource wealth. First, I am at work on a book exploring conflicts over ethnic self-determination: why do some ethnic minorities sustain ongoing rebellions for long periods of time while others fail to? This project is based on field research in Aceh and Kurdistan as well as analysis of aggregate data from around the globe. Second, I continue to be interested in the politics of resource wealth. I am working on several articles and book chapters on this topic. You can find information about my research at the link above.

My first book, Hard Times in the Lands of Plenty, was published in 2007 by Cornell University Press.


Contact Information:                                            On leave fall 2012
Department of Political Science
Box 117325
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611 USA

Phone: (352)273-2345        Fax: (352)392-8127

Email: bbsmith(at)ufl(dot)edu