Professor Bhavnani is an Adjunct Faculty member at FLAME University.  Bhavnani's research explores the micro-foundations of violent conflict by means of agent-based computational modeling and disaggregated empirical analysis. More specifically, his work examines the endogenous relationships among: (i) the characteristics, beliefs, and interests of relevant actors; (ii) social mechanisms and emergent social structures that shape attitudes, decision-making and behavior; and (iii) patterns of conflict and violence.

Bhavnani has an M.P.P. in Public Policy and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

CV

Research Interests

• Micro-foundations of Conflict and Violence, Civil War, Identity Complexity, Urban Questions, Evidence-Driven Modeling

Articles

• [30] Reul, M. and R. Bhavnani. 2024. “How Loyalty Trials Shape Allegiance to Political Order.” Journal of Conflict Resolution Forthcoming.


• [29] Schlager, N., K. Donnay, H. Kim, and R. Bhavnani. 2023. “Drivers of COVID-19 Protests Across Localities in Israel: A Machine Learning Approach.” Political Research Exchange 5:1 (September). 


• [28] Penic, S.,  K. Donnay, R. Bhavnani, G. Elcheroth and M. Albzour. 2023. “How Does the Geography of Surveillance Affect Collective Action?” Political Psychology Online First (September): doi.org/10.1111/pops.12925.


• [27] Penic, S., G. Elcheroth, M. Albzour, K. Donnay and R. Bhavnani. 2023. “Communities Under Occupation: Surveillance, Cohesion, and Resistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology Online First (June): doi/full/10.1037/pac0000684. 


• [26] Hellinger, J. and R. Bhavnani. 2023. “Aerial Occupation and Aerial Forensics in Gaza.” Global Challenges: Urban Morphology and Violence Issue no. 2 (March).


• [25] Bhavnani, R. and X. Osorio Garate. 2023. “Centering the Urban in Our Understanding of Violence.” Global Challenges: Urban Morphology and Violence Issue no. 2 (March). 


• [24] Bhavnani, R., N. Schlager, K. Donnay and M. Reul. 2023. “Trajectories of Resilience to Acute Malnutrition in the Kenyan Drylands.” Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 7 (June).


• [23] Bhavnani, R., N. Schlager, K. Donnay, M. Reul, L. Schenker, M. Stauffer and T. Patel. 2023. “Household Behavior and Vulnerability to Acute Malnutrition in Kenya.” Nature, Humanities & Social Sciences Communications 10:63 (February).


• [22] Schenker, L., D. Sylvan, J. Arcand, and R. Bhavnani. 2023. “Segregation and ‘Out-of-Placeness’: The Direct Effect of Neighborhood Racial Composition on Police Stops.” Political Research Quarterly 76:4 (December): 1646–1660


• [21] Bhavnani, R. and M. Reul. 2019. “The Morphology of Urban Conflict.” Global Challenges: New Grammars of War: Conflict and Violence in the 21st Century Issue no. 5 (April).


• [20] Bhavnani, R. and M. Reul. 2019. “The Morphology of Urban Conflict.” GLOBE: Graduate Institute Review 23 (Spring): 22-23.


• [19] Bhavnani, R., K. Donnay, D. Miodownik, M. Mor and D. Helbing. 2014. “Group Segregation and Urban Violence.” American Journal of Political Science 58:1 (January): 226–245.
  Recipient of 2014 American Journal of Political Science Best Paper Award


• [18] Bhavnani, R. and H. Choi. 2012. “Modeling Civil Violence in Afghanistan: Ethnic Geography, Control, and Collaboration.” Complexity 17:6 (July/August): 42-51.


• [17] Bhavnani, R. and K. Donnay. 2012. “Here’s Looking at You: The Arab Spring and Violence in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank.” Swiss Political Science Review 18:1 (March): 124-131.


• [16] Bratton, M., R. Bhavnani and T. Chen. 2012. “Voting Intentions in Africa: Ethnic, Economic or Partisan?” Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 50:1 (February): 27-52.


• [15] Miodownik, D. and R. Bhavnani. 2011. “Ethnic Minority Rule and Civil War Onset: How Identity Salience, Fiscal Policy, and Natural Resource Profiles Moderate Outcomes.” Conflict Management and Peace Science 28:5 (November): 438-458.


• [14] Bhavnani, R., D. Miodownik and H. Choi. 2011. “Violence and Control in Civil Conflict: Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.” Comparative Politics 44:1 (October): 61-80.


• [13] Bhavnani, R. and J. Lavery. 2011. “Transnational-Ethnic Ties and the Incidence of Minority Rule in Rwanda and Burundi.” Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 17:3 (July-September): 231-256.


• [12] Bhavnani, R., D. Miodownik and H. Choi. 2011. “Three Two Tango: Territorial Control and Selective Violence in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 55:1 (February): 133-158.


• [11] Miodownik, D., B. Cartrite and R. Bhavnani. 2010. “Between Replication and Docking: ‘Adaptive Agents, Political Institutions, and Civic Traditions’ Revisited.” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 13:3 (June).


• [10] Bhavnani, R. 2009. “Scarcity, Abundance, and Conflict: A Complex New World.” Whitehead Journal of International Diplomacy 10:2 (Summer/Fall): 19-34.


• [09] Bhavnani, R., M. Findley and J. Kuklinski. 2009. “Rumor Dynamics in Ethnic Violence.” Journal of Politics 71:3 (July): 876-892.


• [08] Bhavnani, R. and D. Miodownik. 2009. “Ethnic Polarization, Ethnic Salience, and Civil War.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 53:1 (February): 30-49.


• [07] Bhavnani, R., R. Riolo and D. Backer. 2008. “Simulating Closed Regimes with Agent-Based Models.” Complexity 14:1 (September/October): 36-44.


• [06] Bhavnani, R., D. Miodownik and J. Nart. 2008. “REsCape: An Agent-Based Framework for Modeling Resources, Ethnicity, and Conflict.” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 11:2 (March).


• [05] Bhavnani, R. 2006. “Ethnic Norms and Interethnic Violence: Accounting for Mass Participation in the Rwandan Genocide.” Journal of Peace Research 43:6 (November): 651-669.


• [04] Snyder, R. and R. Bhavnani. 2005. “Diamonds, Blood, and Taxes: A Revenue-Centered Framework for Explaining Political Order.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 49:4 (August): 563-597.


• [03] Bhavnani, R. 2003. “Adaptive Agents, Political Institutions, and Civic Traditions in Modern Italy.” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 6:4 (October).


• [02] Bhavnani, R. and M. Ross. 2003. “Announcement, Credibility, and Turnout in Popular Rebellions.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 47:3 (June): 340-366.


• [01] Bhavnani, R. and D. Backer. 2000. “Localized Ethnic Conflict and Genocide: Accounting for Differences in Rwanda and Burundi.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 44:3 (June): 283-307.

Edited Book Series

• [03] Bhavnani, R. and X. Osorio Garate (eds.). 2023. Global Challenges: Urban Morphology and Violence Issue no. 2 (March).


• [02] David Backer, Ravi Bhavnani, and Paul Huth (eds.). 2017. Peace and Conflict. Routledge.


• [01] David Backer, Ravi Bhavnani, and Paul Huth (eds.). 2016. Peace and Conflict. Routledge.

Book Chapters

• [12] Bhavnani, R., K. Donnay and M. Reul. 2020. “Notes and Advice for Evidence-Driven Computational Modeling Projects.” In R. Franzese and L. Curini (eds.) Sage Handbook of Research Methods in Political Science & International Relations. Sage.


• [11] Bhavnani, R. and D. Sylvan. 2017. “Simulation and ABM in Foreign Policy.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Oxford University Press.


• [10] Backer, D., R. Bhavnani, R. and P. Huth. 2017. “Introduction to Peace and Conflict 2017.” in D. Backer, R. Bhavnani, and P. Huth (eds.) Peace and Conflict. Routledge.


• [09] Bhavnani, R. and K. Donnay. 2017. “Generalizing Findings from Micro-Level Research on Peace and Conflict: Reflections about Challenges and Solutions.” in D. Backer, R. Bhavnani, and P. Huth (eds.) Peace and Conflict. Routledge.


• [08] Bratton, M., R. Bhavnani and T. Chen 2016. “Voting Intentions in Africa: Ethnic, Economic or Partisan?” in N. Cheeseman (ed.) African Politics. Routledge.


• [07] Backer, D., R. Bhavnani, R. and P. Huth. 2016. “Introduction to Peace and Conflict 2016.” in D. Backer, R. Bhavnani, and P. Huth (eds.) Peace and Conflict. Routledge.


• [06] Bhavnani, R. and K. Donnay. 2016. “The Cutting Edge of Research on Peace and Conflict.” in D. Backer, R. Bhavnani, and P. Huth (eds.) Peace and Conflict. Routledge.


• [05] Donnay, K., E. Gadjanova and R. Bhavnani. 2014. “Disaggregating Conflict by Actors, Time, and Location.” in D. Backer, J. Wilkenfeld, and P. Huth (eds.) Peace and Conflict. Paradigm Publishers.


• [04] Bratton, M., R. Bhavnani and T. Chen 2013. “Voting Intentions in Africa: Ethnic, Economic or Partisan?” in M. Bratton (ed.) Voting and Democratic Citizenship in Africa. Lynne Rienner Publishers.


• [03] Bhavnani, R. and D. Miodownik. 2010. “Macro- and Micro-Level Theories of Violence in Ethnic and Non-Ethnic Civil Wars.” in T. Jacobson (ed.) Causes of War: An Introduction to Theories Behind Warfare and Collective Violence. Nova Science Publishers.


• [02] Bhavnani, R., R. Riolo and D. Miodownik. 2010. “Computational Models of Ethnic Violence.” in A. Kott and G. Citrenbaum (eds.) Estimating Impact: A Handbook of Computational Methods and Models for Anticipating Economic, Social, Political and Security Effects in International Interventions. Springer.


• [01] Bhavnani, R. 2006. “Agent Based Models in the Study of Ethnic Norms and Interethnic Violence.” in N. Harrison (ed.) Complexity in World Politics: Concepts and Methods of a New Paradigm. SUNY Press.