Professional Summary
My research focuses on two areas. Firstly, I am interested in how technological innovations can disrupt democratic institutions, and secondly, I am interested how activists have organized for influence and taken advantage of this disruption.
Education
PhD: Binghamton University Vestal, NY, 2014 (Political Science)
BA: University of Leeds Leeds, UK, 2007 (History)
Positions and Work Experience
2013 -2014 Researcher, Fordham University, Bronx, NY
2014 -2015 Visiting Assistant Professor, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY
2015 -2024 Assistant/Associate Professor, Knox College, Galesburg, IL
2023 -2025 Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
2025 - Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Research Support
Grant: #1851834 Investigators:Ben Farrer, Robert Holahan 2019 -2023 National Science Foundation “Collaborative Research: Technological Shocks and Institutional Effectiveness under Heterogeneous Risk” Role:Principal Investigator $315,331 Completed Type:Grant
Publications
Peer Reviewed Publications
Ben Farrer, Rob Holahan, Tara Riggs, Jonathan Doriscar, Tori Johnson, Lydia Allen, Soleil Smith, and Kellyanne Allen (2024. ) “How Energy Companies Overcome Landowner Reluctance When Obtaining Land for Hydraulic Fracturing” .Nature: Energy, ,
Ben Farrer (2024. ) “Political Communication as a Tragedy of the Commons” .Political Science, , 72 (2 ) ,701
Ben Farrer, Linda Doyle, and Soleil Smith. (2023. ) “Goals, Strategies, and Tactics: The Continuity and Change of Extinction Rebellion in the UK” .Contention, , 11 (2 ) ,29-56
Ben Farrer, and Joshua Zingher (2022. ) “An Analysis of the Group Bases of British Politics: 1983-2017” .Parliamentary Affairs, , 76 (4 ) ,773
Ben Farrer and Graig Klein (2022. ) “How Radical Environmental Sabotage Affects US Elections” .Terrorism and Political Violence, , 34 (2 ) ,218
Karen O. Caballero Armendariz, Monica Martinez, and Ben Farrer (2020. ) “Badge of Courage or Sign of Criminality? Experimental Evidence For How Voters Respond to Candidates Who Were Arrested At A Protest” .Social Science Quarterly, , 101 (6 ) ,2203
Joshua Zingher and Ben Farrer (2019. ) “A global analysis of how losing an election affects voter satisfaction with democracy” .International Political Science Review , , 40 (4 ) ,518
Joshua Zingher and Ben Farrer (2018. ) “The Partisan and Demographic Dimensions of Minority Candidate Nominations in Anglophone Democracies” .Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties , , 28 (4 ) ,467
Gwen Arnold, Ben Farrer, and Robert Holahan (2018. ) “Measuring environmental and economic opinions about hydraulic fracturing: A survey of landowners in active or planned drilling units” .Review of Policy Research , , 35 (2 ) ,258
Gwen Arnold, Ben Farrer, and Robert Holahan (2018. ) “How Do Landowners Learn About High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing? A Survey of the Eastern Ohio Landowners in Active or Proposed Drilling Units” .Energy Policy, , 114 (3 ) ,455
Ben Farrer, Olga Shvetsova, and Robert Holahan (2017. ) “Accounting For Heterogeneous Private Risks In The Provision Of Collective Goods: Controversial Compulsory Contracting Institutions In Horizontal Hydrofracturing” .Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization , , 133 (1 ) ,138
Ben Farrer and Graig Klein (2017. ) “The Political Roots of Environmental Sabotage” .Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties , , 27 (2 ) ,133
Joshua Zingher and Ben Farrer (2016. ) “The Electoral Effects of the Descriptive Representation of Ethnic Minority Groups in Australia and the United Kingdom” .Party Politics, , 22 (6 ) ,691
Donald Green, Jonathan Krasno, Alex Coppock, Ben Farrer, Brandon Lenoir, and Joshua Zingher (2016. ) “The Effect of Lawn Signs on Vote Outcomes: Results From Four Randomized Field Experiments” .Electoral Studies, , 41 (1 ) ,143
Ben Farrer (2016. ) “An Experiment Assessing How Different Forms of Utility Inform the Choices of Environmental Activists” .Environment and Behaviour, , 48 (7 ) ,885
Ben Farrer (2015. ) “Connecting Niche Party Vote Change in First and Second Order Elections” .Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties , , 25 (4 ) ,482
Donald Green, Jonathan Krasno, Costas Panagopoulos, Ben Farrer, and Michael Schwam-Baird. (2015. ) “Encouraging Small Donor Contributions: Field Experiments Testing the Effects of Nonpartisan Messages”. .Journal of Experimental Political Science , , 2 (2 ) ,183
Costas Panagopoulos and Ben Farrer (2014. ) “Preelection Poll Accuracy and Bias in the 2012 General Elections” .Presidential Studies Quarterly, , 44 (2 ) ,352
Ben Farrer (2014. ) “A Theory of Organizational Choice: Parties and Interest Groups as Substitutable Influence Mechanisms” .Party Politics, , 20 (4 ) ,632
Published Books
Ben Farrer (2017. ) Organizing for Policy Influence: Comparing Parties, Interest Groups, and Direct Action .New York, NY , Routledge