Bahar Leventoglu, Associate Professor of Political Science

Bahar Leventoglu is a formal theorist with substantive interests in international relations and political economy. Currently, she has four different ongoing lines of research. One line of research focuses on how leaders use public statements to affect their bargaining position in international negotiations. A second line of research deals with rational explanations of war. A third line of research concerns habit formation in bargaining situations as well as use of strategic tools, e.g. sanctions, in bargaining. A fourth line of research concerns regime transitions: One project focuses on the effect of social mobility on regime transitions, where as another one examines how coalition formation among groups that are ethnically as well as economically divided have an impact on democratization.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	140 Science Drive, 208 Gross Hall, Durham, NC 27708
Email Address:
Web Page:	http://www.duke.edu/~bl38

Teaching (Spring 2026):

• ECON 301D.001, INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS II Synopsis

  FFSC 2231, MWF 11:45 AM-01:00 PM

• ECON 301D.01D, INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS II Synopsis

  Allen 226, Tu 08:45 AM-09:35 AM

• ECON 301D.02D, INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS II Synopsis

  Perkins 087, Tu 12:00 PM-12:50 PM

• ECON 301D.03D, INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS II Synopsis

  Old Chem 123, Tu 06:30 PM-07:20 PM

• ECON 301D.05D, INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS II Synopsis

  Languages 211, Th 01:40 PM-02:30 PM

• ECON 301D.06D, INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS II Synopsis

  Old Chem 123, W 04:55 PM-05:45 PM

• POLSCI 631L.001, DEDUCT/ANALYTICAL APPROACHES Synopsis

  Gross Hall 111, MW 10:05 AM-11:20 AM

• POLSCI 631L.01L, DEDUCT/ANALYTICAL APPROACHES Synopsis

  Bio Sci 063, F 12:00 PM-12:50 PM

Education:

Ph.D.	University of Rochester	2001
M.A.	University of Rochester	1999
B.S.	Bilkent University (Turkey)	1994
Graduate Coursework, Economics, 1994-1996	Bilkent University, Turkey

Specialties:

Methods
Security, Peace, & Conflict
Political Economy

Research Interests:

Professor Leventoglu specializes in the study of game theory, international relations, and political economy. Her research has specifically investigated such variables as models of war, international bargaining, regime transitions, social mobility, and ethnic conflict. Her work stems into three lines of research, the first involving leaders’ public statements in relation to negotiation bargaining position; the second deals with explanation of war; and the third follows regime transitions and the variables affecting democracy. Some of her published research papers include, “The Armed Peace: A Punctuated Equilibrium Theory of War,” “Social Mobility and Political Transitions,” “Public Commitment in Crises Bargaining,” and “Does Private Information Lead to Delay or War in Crisis Bargaining?” Her work has appeared in various prestigious academic journals, including the International Studies Quarterly, the American Journal of Political Science, and the Journal of Theoretical Politics. Professor Leventoglu’s latest project, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, is a study of “Public Commitment in International Relations.” She is currently writing a paper, in collaboration with Ahmer Tarar, covering her recent research discoveries.

Keywords:

Democratization • Game Theory • Social Mobility

Curriculum Vitae  Bio

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

1. Leventoğlu, B; Malesky, EJ; Wen, T, Synthesizing Theories of Authoritarian Elections: A Game-Free Analysis, Comparative Political Studies, vol. 58 no. 11 (September, 2025), pp. 2359-2400 [doi]  [abs]
2. Leventoglu, B; Vanberg, G; Waggoner, A, Federalism, political imbalance, and the right to secession, Constitutional Political Economy, vol. 36 no. 1 (March, 2025), pp. 26-43 [doi]  [abs]
3. Leventoğlu, B, Bargaining power in crisis bargaining, Review of Economic Design, vol. 27 no. 4 (December, 2023), pp. 825-847 [doi]  [abs]
4. Leventoğlu, B; Metternich, NW, Born Weak, Growing Strong: Anti-Government Protests as a Signal of Rebel Strength in the Context of Civil Wars, American Journal of Political Science, vol. 62 no. 3 (July, 2018), pp. 581-596, WILEY [doi]  [abs]
5. Leventoğlu, B, Bargaining with habit formation, Economic Theory, vol. 64 no. 3 (October, 2017), pp. 477-508, Springer Nature [doi]  [abs]