People

People

Savun, Burcu

  • Burcu Savun
  • MOSES AND ANUTA BECK PROFESSOR
  • Subfield: International Relations, Doctoral Faculty
  • Office: Hickman Hall - 601
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  • Specialties:

    Civil Wars and Political Violence; Forced Migration and Refugee Policy; Democratization; International Security; Foreign Aid; Terrorism; Conflict Management and Resolution
  • Bio:

    Burcu Savun is the Moses and Anuta Beck Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University. Her research examines the causes and consequences of political violence, with a focus on civil wars, forced migration, and democratization. She studies how states preserve peace during major societal transformations and crises, including mass refugee flows and post-conflict transitions, and how refugee policies, electoral institutions, foreign aid, and peace agreements shape conflict dynamics.

    Her research has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Politics, International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, Perspectives on Politics, and Annual Review of Political Science.

    Before joining Rutgers, Professor Savun was a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, where she received the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring in 2025. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Rice University.
  • Publications:

    Recent Publications

    • Morrison, Kelly, Donno, Daniela, Savun, Burcu, and Davutoglu, Persia. 2025. “Competing Verdicts: Multiple Election Monitors and Post-Election Violence.” Review of International Organizations 20(2): 293–321.
    • Salehyan, Idean, and Savun, Burcu. 2024. “Strategic Humanitarianism: Host States and Refugee Policy.” Annual Review of Political Science 27: 107–125.
    • Savun, Burcu, Jessica Stanton, Caroline Hartzell, and Lindsay Reid. 2024. “Violence Beyond the Battlefield: Civilian Targeting, Sexual Violence, and Women’s Political Empowerment.” Journal of Global Security Studies 9(1).
    • Savun, Burcu. 2022. “Welcoming the Unwelcome: Refugee Flows, Refugee Rights, and Political Violence.” International Studies Quarterly 66(1).
    • Donno, Daniela, Kelly Morrison, and Burcu Savun. 2022. “Not All Elections Are Created Equal: Election Quality and Civil Conflict.” Journal of Politics 84(1): 134–147.