Making use of a newly available cross-national and longitudinal dataset, University of California, Irvine sociologists explore the social foundations of academic freedom. They find systematic evidence in support of several longstanding views—the liberty to teach and learn is protected by democracy and threatened by state religiosity, armed conflict, and militarism. They also show the positive and negative effects of liberal and illiberal global institutions. Published online in the American Sociological Review, their findings underscore the impact of multiple coexisting forces shaping global trends in academic freedom.

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