Gudlaug Olafsdottir is a PhD Candidate at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research focuses on electoral contention and how it influences conditions for democratization. Her focus is on the actor-based dynamics of election-related contention, with particular focus on political parties. Her research investigates how citizens’ attitudes toward democracy are affected by electoral violence, investigating differences between incumbent and opposition supporters. Her most current research looks into how inter-party dynamics influence the development of democratic institutions, focusing on constitutional reform. She also investigates how the outcomes of such reforms affect the development of electoral contention in their aftermath. Gudlaug has served as an election observer for OSCE/ODIHR, frequently works in elections in Sweden, and was an intern and research assistant at International IDEA.
