Ari Ray

Political Scientist, University of Geneva

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

In my current project, I use public archival data to examine the conditions under which individuals from structurally disprivileged backgrounds grow able to attain public office. I also study the politics of redistribution. My work in this area covers issues related 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.

Projects of mine have recieved financing from e.g. the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. I am a recipient of 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, feel free to browse the Research and CV sections of this site.