His main research interests revolve around democracy, poverty, and economic development in development countries. Justesen’s work spans from country-level analysis of political institutions and economic growth to individual-level analysis of survey data on poverty and (electoral) corruption. He is currently leading a research project on poverty, electoral clientelism, and vote buying in new democracies, with a particular focus on South Africa. Justesen’s research has been published in a number of international outlets, including Comparative Politics, Electoral Studies, Political Research Quarterly, European Journal of Political Research, and the World Bank Economic Review.