Matt Rains

Matt Rains is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at Whitworth University and Civil and Political Rights Lead for the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI). He joined Whitworth in 2024 after earning his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Georgia. His research focuses on human rights measurement, political violence, and structural oppression, addressing questions like why states target citizens with violence and how societal power structures deny human rights.

His work spans political violence, political economy, and methodological innovation. Key projects include analyzing nationalism's role in torture practices, leadership legitimation strategies affecting human rights compliance, and developing measurement techniques for civil/political rights. As HRMI's Civil and Political Rights Lead, he oversees annual data collection on eight rights categories and at-risk populations.

Additional projects include the Universal Periodic Review Other Stakeholders Engagement dataset (with Chun-Young Park) and research on human trafficking economics, conflict mediation sequencing, and text analysis of white supremacist rhetoric in U.S. political discourse.

Rains' contributions emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to pressing global issues, blending quantitative and qualitative methods while maintaining close collaboration with advocacy organizations.