About
Bio, CV, Profile
Contact: macartan.humphreys@wzb.eu
Short Bio
Macartan Humphreys works on the political economy of development, with research on post-conflict recovery, ethnic politics, political authority, leadership, and democratic development, often employing field experiments in post-conflict and developing regions. He is the author or coauthor of books on ethnic politics, natural resource management, game theory and politics, and research design. He holds a PhD in political science from Harvard University, an MPhil in economics from Oxford University, and a BA in history and political science from Trinity College Dublin. A former Trudeau Fellow, Harvard Academy Scholar, and Executive Director of the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) network, Macartan is Secretary of the European Political Science Society and an Associate Editor of the American Political Science Review. He directs the Institutions and Political Inequality group at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and holds honorary professorships in political science, economics, and social sciences at Humboldt University and Trinity College Dublin.
More information
Substantive interests:
I work on the political economy of development, with ongoing research on political inequality, post-conflict development, ethnic politics, political authority and leadership, and democratic development—currently with a focus on field experiments to study democratic decision-making in post-conflict and developing areas. Central questions include understanding under what conditions can marginalized populations have their voices heard in local or national politics? or to what extent is political inequality driven by institutional features or by more fundamental economic structures? I have worked in Chad, Ghana, Haiti, Indonesia, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Uganda, and elsewhere.
Methodological interests:
I am deeply interested in understanding when and how knowledge cumulates—that is, when individual findings can be trusted and how we can generalize from particular cases to broader populations and processes. This challenge lies at the heart of social science. Current approaches to inference often fail to address these issues adequately, yet understanding cumulation is essential if our work is to have lasting impact. My work with Alan Jacobs and the Metaketa initiative with Thad Dunning and others at EGAP both aim to address these challenges. See additional projects on cumulation here.
Outlets:
Recent work has appeared in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Science Advances, PNAS, Journal of Development Economics, Games and Economic Behavior, and elsewhere. I have written or coauthored books on ethnic politics, natural resource management, game theory and politics, and quantitative and mixed methods research design.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Director, Institutions and Political Inequality Research Group, WZB Berlin Social Science Center
- Honorary Professor, Humboldt University Berlin
- Honorary Professor, Trinity College Dublin
- Secretary of the European Political Science Society and associate editor of the American Political Science Review
- Former Trudeau Fellow, Harvard Academy Scholar, and Professor, Columbia University (2002-2023).
Contact Information
Best by email: macartan.humphreys@wzb.eu
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