Research Spotlight on Boris Sokolov

Boris Sokolov, Henry Hart Rice Visiting Associate Professor, conversed about his work and experience at Yale during the 2024-25 academic year. Sokolov is a leading research fellow at the Ronald F. Inglehart Laboratory for Comparative Social Research, Higher School of Economics, Russia. He served as the laboratory’s director from 2021 to 2023. His research interests include the political effects of cultural change worldwide, methodological issues related to multinational comparative surveys, and post-Soviet politics.

What experiences or motivations led you to Yale?

Yale is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, with a top-ranked Political Science department and a strong tradition in area studies, with a key institutional home in the MacMillan Center. Joining this environment — even for a short time — offers an exceptional opportunity to deepen my research, broaden my international collaborations, and strengthen my academic profile. I was fortunate to receive a fellowship as the Henry Hart Rice Visiting Associate Professor, and I feel genuinely honored to be here. Being part of this intellectual community is an incredible experience.

Can you describe the focus and scope of your work as a Henry Hart Rice Visiting Associate Professor?

My work at MacMillan focuses on both applied and methodological aspects of public opinion research in a comparative context. My current projects examine topics such as 1) COVID-19 skepticism in Russia and other post-Soviet states, 2) how governments use media framing to avoid blame for unpopular welfare reforms, and 3) the potential of web surveys for studying public opinion in non-Western countries.

Which Yale resources have most significantly supported your teaching and research?

Yale itself, as a whole, feels like one extraordinary teaching and research resource. Everything here contributes to academic work: the rich library system; smart, motivated students; brilliant and supportive colleagues who are always open to discussion and generously share their expertise; an endless flow of events, lectures, and seminars; and the ability to travel to conferences and build connections beyond campus. Even the environment— the beautiful, almost medieval surroundings of Yale’s campus —creates a special atmosphere that encourages both focus and creativity. I feel very fortunate to be able to experience it all firsthand.

How in particular have you engaged or collaborated with Yale students and faculty during your time here?

I teach a small seminar, "Public Opinion in Post-Soviet Russia," where I work closely with a group of highly motivated students. Beyond the classroom, I participate in events organized by the European and Russian Studies master's program, such as student-faculty lunches. I also regularly attend academic talks, lectures, and workshops across the university, which offer opportunities to exchange ideas with colleagues from a variety of fields. In addition, I have enjoyed many informal conversations and exchanges with faculty members at both the MacMillan Center and the Department of Political Science. These interactions have been a valuable part of my Yale experience, helping me to broaden my perspectives and refine my research. 

What moments or events have stood out as particularly meaningful during your time at Yale?

Yale in general, and the MacMillan Center in particular, are magnificent environments for academic life. Every week brings an array of exciting and stimulating events. I often feel quite frustrated that I must miss interesting seminars, talks, roundtables, and conferences because I cannot be in multiple places at once.

Perhaps the two most outstanding events I attended during my time at Yale were the recent presentation of Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State, a new book by Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky, a historian from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Presidential Lecture by Raj Chetty from Harvard on insights from Big Data into the sources of social inequality and what can be done to address them.

But I also enjoyed nearly every event I took part in here, from informal lunches with colleagues to major academic conferences.

In what ways do you envision applying the insights, resources, and relationships developed at Yale to your future professional goals?

In the short term, I hope that the feedback I've received—and will continue to receive—during my fellowship will help me turn my ongoing projects into publications in reputable academic journals. After all, seeing your work done, and done well, is a pleasure for everyone, and scholars are no exception. Publications—and their broader contribution to the progress of humanity—are what we (okay, I) are living for.

In the long run... who knows. Small talk can turn into big ideas; and accidental hallway meetings can become highly productive long-term collaborations. That said, right now I don't think much about the future and follow the good old Latin motto Carpe Diem. It is already a great privilege to be here, regardless of what it may mean for my future career.

Interviewed by Oliver Wolyniec