George Tsouloufas is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science, specializing in comparative politics and international political economy. Originally from Greece, Tsouloufas studies the rise of far-right parties in Europe, focusing on the distinctions between radical and extreme movements and their implications for democratic stability. Shaped by personal experience during Greece’s financial crisis, his research examines how economic shocks, political decision making, and public attitudes interact across democratic systems.
George Tsouloufas studies how economic crises, political institutions, and extremist movements reshape democratic politics. His research sits at the intersection of comparative politics and international political economy, examining the rise of far-right parties across Europe and the political forces that sustain them. For Tsouloufas, the questions that guide his work are deeply personal – shaped by witnessing economic turmoil unfold in his home country of Greece.
Tsouloufas began his academic career studying economics. Growing up in Greece, he was fascinated by how economies functioned and how financial systems shaped everyday life. He saw how economics worked as a powerful tool to understand markets, trade, and financial stability. But as he progressed through his studies, he found himself increasingly interested not just in economic outcomes, but in the political decisions behind them. He saw how economics could explain how markets behaved, but struggled to understand why governments made the choices they did.
Those questions became impossible to ignore during the global financial crisis of 2008. Greece became one of its most visible epicenters, facing soaring unemployment, harsh austerity policies, and political instability. Watching the crisis unfold forced Tsouloufas to confront a deeper puzzle: how could democratic governments adopt policies that produced such widespread hardship, and why did political systems struggle to respond effectively?
Seeking answers, Tsouloufas turned toward political science. After completing his undergraduate degree in economics, he moved to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in political science at California State University, Northridge. What began as an opportunity to study abroad became a turning point in his career.
At Northridge, Tsouloufas worked as a research assistant and teaching assistant, experiencing academic life beyond the classroom. Engaging directly with research and teaching paved a path he had not previously considered. In this new academic environment, Tsouloufas was able to explore difficult questions, test ideas, and help students understand political problems – inspiring him to pursue a career inscholarship.
In 2017, Tsouloufas began his Political Science PhD at UC Santa Barbara. The program has provided him the space, support and resources to crystalize his research interests around comparative politics and international political economy. His early PhD work analyzed the political logic of economic sanctions, exploring why governments continue to use sanctions even when they often fail to achieve their stated goals. That research later earned the Best Paper Award from the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal.
However, his research interests did not stop there. Today, Tsouloufas focuses on the rise of far-right political parties across Europe. While the term “far right” is often used broadly, his research shows that important distinctions exist between radical right parties that operate within democratic systems and extreme movements that openly challenge democratic institutions. By analyzing nearly 150 parties across 30 European countries, Tsouloufas has developed a framework for understanding how these movements differ and how they influence democratic politics. In doing so, he analyzes how moments of economic and political crisis can reshape political landscapes in new and unexpected ways.