Ari Ray

Political Scientist, University of Geneva

I am a Senior Researcher (SNSF Ambizione) in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Geneva. My research examines the institutional drivers of socio-political inequality and the behavioral foundations of economic policymaking.

My current work uses archival data to study the conditions under which individuals from structurally disadvantaged backgrounds attain public office, and how their presence shapes economic policy. A second strand of my research examines the behavioral and institutional foundations of redistributive politics, with particular attention to fiscal consolidation, redistributive attitudes, and the role of organized labor.

Previously, I was an Early-Career Fellow at the Collegium Helveticum, a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, a PhD Researcher at the University of Zurich, and a SNSF Predoctoral Fellow at Stanford University.

My research has been supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. It has also received the CQ Press Award from the APSA Legislative Studies Section (2023), the APSA Best Paper Prize on Class & Inequality (2023), and an Honorable Mention for the APSA Best Book on European Politics and Society (2021).

For more information, please see the Research and CV sections of this site.