Diana Da In Lee

Hi! I am a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics (CSDP) at Princeton University. I study the sources and consequences of minority under-representation in American politics. I do so by developing new methods and data sources, improving measurements in empirical research, and working with non-profit organizations to study difficult-to-reach target populations. My work has been published or is forthcoming in journals including Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, Nature: Scientific Data, and Urban Affairs Review.

My substantive research evaluates sources of minority representation from the supply side: to what extent does the minority under-representation in U.S. politics stem from racial minorities choosing not to run for office? In my dissertation, funded by APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, I investigate the development of political ambition among racial minorities, from the initial spark of interest to officially becoming a candidate. In partnership with a non-profit organization, I conduct field and conjoint experiments on minority individuals with varying levels of political ambition to explore what determinants impact their entry decisions and how these determinants evolve as they progress through the emergence process. 

My research on minority representation also manifests in solving empirical challenges inherent in studies of race and representation. This includes: (1) creating new measurements, such as racial predictions and racial margin of victory, (2) enhancing experimental methods for real-world application, and (3) developing methods to address external validity concerns.

I received my PhD from Columbia University under the supervision of Donald Green, Shigeo Hirano, Yamil Velez, and Naoki Egami. I received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and a Master's degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. I previously worked at an economic consulting firm, conducting econometric analysis for antitrust litigation and class certification.