Nicole Peisajovich

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Theory at Columbia University. I specialize in democratic theory and the history of political thought, with a special focus on leadership and twentieth-century theories of democracy. 

The central problem that guides my research is the tension between democracy and leadership. Given that leadership entails a power inequality between those who follow and those who lead, and given that democracy promises the political equality of all citizens, can leadership ever be compatible with democracy? What distinguishes democratic from non-democratic forms of leadership? While political leaders play a pivotal role in all existing democracies, democratic theory is surprisingly silent when it comes to assessing the appropriate role for leadership in such regimes. My work identifies this gap in contemporary democratic theory and offers a way forward.

You may find more about my research here and you can download my CV here. Feel free to reach me at  nmp2138@columbia.edu.