Fish writes and comments extensively on international affairs and the rising challenges to democracy in the United States and around the world. He is a commentator in the media, including BBC World News, CNN,[8] and other major networks, and has published in The New York Times[9], The Washington Post[10], Los Angeles Times[11], The American Interest[12], The Daily Beast[13], Slate,[14] and Foreign Policy[15].
Fish's most recent book, Comeback: Routing Trumpism, Reclaiming the Nation, and Restoring Democracy’s Edge (2024),[16] examines the causes of democracy’s current crisis in America and proposes a new approach to campaign messaging for Democrats.[17]
In Are Muslims Distinctive? A Look at the Evidence (2011),[18] Fish tests a range of notions about Muslims and their political orientations.[19] He finds little support for many prevailing stereotypes,[20] including the view that Muslims are committed to fusing religious and political authority and are more prone to violence.[21] He also finds that homicide rates and class-based inequalities are generally lower in predominantly Muslim societies.[22]
Fish’s work also includes research on legislatures and their role in democratic governance. His coauthored book, The Handbook of National Legislatures (2009),[23] measures the powers of the national legislature in every country in the world.[24] He served as the Project Manager for the Legislatures section of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project. In an article, “Stronger Legislatures, Stronger Democracies” (2006) he argued that vesting substantial power in national legislatures is vital to sustaining democratic regimes.[25]
In Democracy Derailed in Russia: The Failure of Open Politics (2005),[26] Fish investigated the demise of Russia’s democratic experiment in the 21st century.[27][28] He argued that Russian democrats’ failure to build a strong civil society, along with flaws in their economic reform program, Russia’s hydrocarbons-based economy, and the country’s “superpresidential” constitution paved the way for the resurrection of autocracy under Vladimir Putin.[29]
Fish’s earlier work focused on Russia’s democratization after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In Democracy from Scratch: Opposition and Regime in the New Russian Revolution (1995),[30] which was based on two years of fieldwork in Russia during the late 1980s and early 1990s,[31] Fish argued that Russia’s democratic breakthrough, while momentous and impressive, might prove short-lived given the lack of emergence of a realm of robust civil society organizations.[32][33]
"What Has Russia Become?" Comparative Politics 50, 3 (April 2018): 327–346.
“Attitudes toward Polygyny: Experimental Evidence from Six Countries” (coauthored with Rose McDermott, Michael Dickerson, Danielle Lussier, and Jonathan Cowden). In Rose McDermott and Kristen Renwick Monroe, eds., The Evils of Polygyny: Evidence of Its Harms to Women, Men, and Society. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2018: 97–122.
“Penury Traps and Prosperity Tales: Why Some Countries Escape Poverty While Others Do Not.” In Carol Lancaster and Nicholas van de Walle, eds., The Oxford Handbook of the Politics of Development. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018: 88–104.
“What Is Putinism?” Journal of Democracy 28, 4 (October 2017): 61–75.
“The Secret Supports of Mongolian Democracy” (coauthored with Michael Seeberg). Journal of Democracy 28, 1 (January 2017): 129–143.
“Men, Muslims, and Attitudes toward Gender Inequality” (coauthored with Danielle N. Lussier). Politics and Religion 9, 1 (March 2016): 29–60.
“Policies First, Institutions Second: Lessons from Estonia’s Economic Reforms” (coauthored with Neil A. Abrams). Post-Soviet Affairs 31, 6 (November–December 2015): 491–513.
“Indonesia: The Benefits of Civic Engagement” (coauthored with Danielle N. Lussier). Journal of Democracy 23, 1 (January 2012): 70–84.
“Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy: A New Approach” (coauthored with Michael Coppedge, John Gerring et al.). Perspectives on Politics 9, 2 (June 2011): 247–67.
“Islam and Large-Scale Political Violence: Is There a Connection?” (coauthored with Francesca R. Jensenius and Katherine E. Michel). Comparative Political Studies 43, 11 (November 2010): 1327–62.
“Stronger Legislatures, Stronger Democracies.” In Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner, eds., Democracy: A Reader. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009: 196–210.
“Encountering Culture.” In Zoltan Barany and Robert G. Moser, eds., Is Democracy Exportable? New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009: 57–84.
“Democratization and Economic Liberalization in the Postcommunist World” (coauthored with Omar Choudhry). Comparative Political Studies 40, 3 (March 2007): 254–82.
“Does Diversity Hurt Democracy?” (coauthored with Robin S. Brooks). Journal of Democracy 15, 1 (January 2004): 155–66.
“Islam and Authoritarianism.” World Politics 55, 1 (October 2002): 4–37.
“Mongolia: Democracy without Prerequisites.” Journal of Democracy 9, 3 (July 1998): 127–41.
“The Determinants of Economic Reform in the Postcommunist World.” East European Politics and Societies 12, 1 (Winter 1998): 31–78.
↑ "Democracy derailed in Russia: The failure of open politics". Choice Reviews Online. 43 (8). 2006. doi:10.5860/choice.43-4903 (inactive 1 July 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
↑ "Democracy from scratch: Opposition and regime in the new Russian revolution". Choice Reviews Online. 33 (2). 1995. doi:10.5860/choice.33-1154 (inactive 1 July 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
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