Office: Holden Hall 17 

Dr. Banerjee Website

Dr. Sayan Banerjee is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University. He received his PhD in Government at the University of Essex (MA in Political Science, Villanova University; B.Sc. in Economics, University of Calcutta). Prior to joining Texas Tech, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Oxford's Reuters Institute and at the University of Virginia's Democracy Initiative.

Dr. Banerjee's research consists of three interlinked pathways. Together, they explore themes and scholarship on political behavior, ethnic politics, political communication, and South Asian politics. The first track studies the causal effects of Misinformation on intergroup relations and political behavior in diverse societies. It investigates the implications of ‘fake news' (spread via Whatsapp) on ethnic relations, political behavior, and public policy choices in India. The work is funded by Meta, grants from the University of Virginia's Democracy Initiative and the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation.

The second path, funded by grants from the University of Virginia, studies how social capital, evidenced by residential segregation along ethnic and racial lines informs belief in misinformation, which, in turn, influences political behavior and attitudes towards identity outgroups. The third lane studies determinants and mechanisms behind women's political representation as well as pro-social and pro-developmental behavioral change in South Asia. The research is endowed by the International Growth Centre based in the London School of Economics and the National Science Foundation (US).

Dr. Banerjee is interested in mentoring graduate students whose research interest lies broadly in the domains of comparative political behavior, social media, ethnic politics and the politics of South Asia.