David Bateman’s research focuses on racism and democratic institutions, including constitutions, rights, and policymaking institutions such as legislatures. His current work focuses on Black political and labor organizing and its impact on US policy and state-building. 

He has published articles in Studies in American Political Development, the American Journal of Political Science, Public Choice, Perspectives on Politics, and The Forum. His co-authored book, Southern Nation: Congress and White Supremacy after Reconstruction, examines the role of southern members of Congress in shaping national policy from the end of Reconstruction until the New Deal. His second book, Disenfranchising Democracy: Constructing the Electorate in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, examines the concurrent expansion of political rights alongside mass disenfranchisement in these three countries.

Professor Bateman received his undergraduate degree from Concordia University and master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the Cornell Government Department.

About David Bateman