Argentine citizens rally in April 1982 at May Square in Buenos Aires, demonstrating support for their government's recent invasion of the British-held Falkland Islands. (Panta Astiazaran, AFP, Getty Images)
Argentine citizens rally in April 1982 at May Square in Buenos Aires, demonstrating support for their government's recent invasion of the British-held Falkland Islands. (Panta Astiazaran, AFP, Getty Images)

My research focuses on two broad sets of question. The first and most active part of my research agenda explores the effect of external threat, especially to the territorial integrity of the state, on the political attitudes of citizens. Here, I have a keen interest in what happens to citizen attitudes toward the government and what type of authority the government should have. The second part of my research agenda is rooted in the peace science approach to the study of international conflict. Here, my research has explored either the conditions of conflict onset and escalation or how we should properly code these events. In addition, I have also published various items on political topics of interest to me in light of current events and have also published software to assist in the research and learning experience of others. I offer a three-page research statement that summarizes and contextualizes all my research. My CV contains some more information about works in progress and where some of these works in progress are in the peer review process. A statement of societal interaction elaborates how my research has had an impact on society in the form of various media appearances and discussions with journalists about my research.

Data Sets Created/Maintained

Gibler-Miller-Little (GML) MID Data Version 2.2.1
This page contains links to download non-directed/directed dyad-year militarized interstate dispute (MID) data derived from my co-authored project published in International Studies Quarterly.

Territorial Change Version 6
This data set records all peaceful and violent changes of territory from 1816-2018.

Software Created

I maintain the following software packages, all for the R programming language.

Package Downloads tl;dr Description
{codename} generate unique code names for things (comes in various styles, like Ubuntu and Wu-Tang)
{dragracer} learn R functions around data from RuPaul’s Drag Race
{peacesciencer} data generation tools for quantitative peace science (an R analog to EUGene)
{stevedata} miscellaneous data sets I use for in-class instruction
{stevemisc} various helper functions for research and presentation (esp. for mixed models and BTSCS models)
{steveproj}   a Make and R Markdown approach to academic project management
{stevetemplates} write R Markdown documents with my suite of R Markdown templates
{stevethemes} a collection of {ggplot2} themes and theme elements

Publications

Gibler, Douglas M. and Steven V. Miller. Forthcoming. “The Militarized Interstate Confrontation (MIC) Dataset, 1816-2014.” Journal of Conflict Resolution.

Miller, Steven V. Forthcoming. “A Random Item Response Model of External Territorial Threat, 1816-2010.” Journal of Global Security Studies.

Miller, Steven V. Forthcoming. “{peacesciencer}: An R Package for Quantitative Peace Science Research.” Conflict Management and Peace Science. 39(6): 755–779.

Gibler, Douglas M. and Steven V. Miller. 2022. “An Appraisal of Project Mars and the Divided Armies Argument.” International Studies Quarterly. 66(2)

Miller, Steven V. Forthcoming. “Economic Anxiety or Ethnocentrism? An Evaluation of Attitudes Toward Immigration in the U.S. From 1992 to 2017.” Social Science Journal.

Miller, Steven V. and Nicholas T. Davis. 2021. “The Effect of White Social Prejudice on Support for American Democracy.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 6(2): 334–351.

Curtis, K. Amber and Steven V. Miller. 2021. “A (Supra)Nationalist Personality? The Big Five’s Effects on Political-Territorial Identification.” European Union Politics 22(2): 202–226.

Gibler, Douglas M., Steven V. Miller, and Erin K. Little. 2020. “The Importance of Correct Measurement.” International Studies Quarterly 64(2): 476–479.

Miller, Steven V. 2019. “What Americans Think About Gun Control: Evidence from the General Social Survey, 1972-2016”. Social Science Quarterly 100(1): 272-288.

Miller, Steven V. 2018. “External Territorial Threats and Tolerance of Corruption: A Private/Government Distinction”. Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy 24(1): doi: 10.1515/peps-2017-0043

Miller, Steven V. 2017. “The Effect of Terrorism on Judicial Confidence.” Political Research Quarterly 70(4): 790–802.

Miller, Steven V. 2017. “Individual-Level Expectations of Executive Authority under Territorial Threat.” Conflict Management and Peace Science 34(5): 526-545.

Miller, Steven V. 2017. “Economic Threats or Societal Turmoil? Understanding Preferences for Authoritarian Political Systems.” Political Behavior 39(2): 457-478.

Gibler, Douglas M., Steven V. Miller, and Erin K. Little. 2016. “An Analysis of the Militarized Interstate Dispute (MID) Dataset, 1816-2001.” International Studies Quarterly 60(4): 719-730.

Gibler, Douglas M. and Steven V. Miller. 2014. “External Territorial Threat, State Capacity, and Civil War.” Journal of Peace Research 51(5): 634-646.

Miller, Steven V. 2013. “Territorial Disputes and the Politics of Individual Well-Being.” Journal of Peace Research 50(6): 677-690.

Gibler, Douglas M. and Steven V. Miller. 2013. “Quick Victories? Territory, Democracies and Their Disputes.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 57(2): 258-284.

Gibler, Douglas M., Marc L. Hutchison and Steven V. Miller. 2012. “Individual Identity Attachments and International Conflict: The Importance of Territorial Threat.” Comparative Political Studies 45(12): 1655-1683.

Gibler, Douglas M. and Steven V. Miller. 2012. “Comparing the Foreign Aid Policies of Presidents Bush and Obama.” Social Science Quarterly 93(5): 1202-1217.

Miller, Steven V. and Douglas M. Gibler. 2011. “Democracies, Territory and Negotiated Compromises.” Conflict Management and Peace Science 28(3): 261-279.

Book Chapters and Edited Volumes

Miller, Steven V. 2022. “Territorial Disputes.” Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace & Conflict (3rd ed.). Elsevier.

Gibler, Douglas M. and Steven V. Miller. 2021. “The Territorial Peace.” What Do We Know About War? (3rd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 158-170.

Miller, Steven V., Jaroslav Tir, and John A. Vasquez. 2020. “Geography, Territory, and Conflict.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.013.320

Book Reviews

Miller, Steven V. 2020. “Power without Victory: Woodrow Wilson and the American Internationalist Experiment” Congress & the Presidency.

  • Review of Throntveit, Trygve. 2017. Power without Victory: Woodrow Wilson and the American Internationalist Experiment. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Miller, Steven V. 2019. “National Identity and Territory in a World of Changing Scale” International Studies Review 20(4): 728–730

  • Review of Herb, Guntram M. and David H. Kaplan. 2017. Scaling Identities: Nationalism and Territoriality. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Reports

Miller, Steven V. 2020. “School Choice Advocacy Report Plays Regression Modeling Games to Make Its Case Against Public Schools.” National Education Policy Center.