Kelechi Amakoh

About Me
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at Michigan State University. I study how political campaigns and leaders’ messages shape democracy, trust, and social relations in multiethnic societies. My research combines archival media analysis, survey experiments, and interview of elites to examine how negative messaging, identity cues, and polarization influence voter behavior and democratic attitudes.

My dissertation, Echoes of Division: How Negative Campaigns Shape Democratic Attitudes in Multiethnic Societies, combines 27,000+ coded Nigerian newspaper articles (1993–2023), a survey experiment with 1,700+ Lagos voters, and interview of elites . Findings show that candidates who go negative often face backlash. They can lose support, as some voters shift to a third, uninvolved candidate, and even alienate their own base. The effect depends on ethnicity: coethnics of the target usually stay loyal, while non-coethnics are more likely to defect. The findings highlight how campaigns interact with ethnic group dynamics to shape democratic attitudes and trust, offering lessons for political parties, policymakers, and civic organizations in multiethnic societies. My research is supported by the Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) and the African Studies Center at Michigan State University, The Richard A. Horovitz Fund for Professional Development, the Institute for Humane Studies, the Alliance for African Partnership, William E. Rhode Fellowship, Minority Politics Group Fellowship, and the Bratton Fellowship.

My specialized training at the University of Amsterdam, Harvard University, Oxford University, the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), and as a Faculty First-Look Scholar at New York University has strengthened both my research and teaching. I have served as the instructor of record for Politics of Africa and as a co-instructor or teaching assistant for courses including Comparative Politics, Democratic Regimes, Society and the Individual, and War and Revolution Video Games, teaching in both in-person and online formats.

As a Good Authority Fellow, I translate research into clear, policy-relevant insights. My work appears in International Journal of Press/Politics, American Politics Research, Journal of Hate Studies, and Feminist Media Studies. I have also worked with Afrobarometer on policy-relevant projects across 40 African countries, connecting rigorous research to real-world democratic challenges.

Research & Teaching Interests
Campaigns, Elections, Democracy, Ethnic Politics, Political Communication, Africa; Mixed Methods: Surveys, Experiments, Interviews, Focus Groups

Contact
229 South Kedzie Hall East Lansing MI 48823

Website
https://www.kelechiamakoh.com

Email
amakohke@msu.edu