Dr. Maurice P. Schumann is a postdoctoral researcher at the Hertie School. He is part of the DFG-funded project “Narrative, Power, and Control (NPC): The Authoritarian Playbook in the Global Video Games Industry” within the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS).”  He received his PhD in Political Science from the Hertie School in 2026. In his dissertation, Maurice Schumann examined the conditions under which governments institutionalize repressive internet controls through legal regulation and the consequences of doing so. More broadly, his research examines how governments navigate different forms of political conflict, from domestic contestation and civil war to international struggles over narratives and influence, across both digital and offline environments. His research has been published in Democratization, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, and Research & Politics.

Research Interests

• Digital Authoritarianism
• Political Contestation, Violence, and Conflict
• Digital Politics, Internet Regulation, and Cybersecurity
• Authoritarian Influence through Media and Entertainment

• Bara, C., & Schumann, M. P. (2026). Ceasefires and civilian targeting in civil war. Journal of Peace Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopres/xjag068 
• Schumann, M. P. (2026). Legalizing control: The rise of restrictive internet regulation in sub-Saharan Africa. Democratization, 33(1), 137–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2025.2503370
• Gohdes, A. R., Koh, A. W., & Schumann, M. P. (2026). Digital authoritarianism. In J. Earl & J. M. Braithwaite (Eds.), De Gruyter handbook of political control (pp. 75–89). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111298559-005
• Bara, C., & Schumann, M. P. (2025). Who, what, and where? Linking violence to civil wars. Research & Politics, 12(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680251328885
• Schumann, M. P., & Bara, C. (2023). A new era: Power in partnership peacekeeping. International Studies Quarterly, 67(3), sqad037. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqad037