Political Economy of Conflict, Development, and Peacebuilding in Africa and the Middle East

This course tackles major questions in contemporary research on the political economy of conflict, development, and peacebuilding, with special focus on Africa and the Middle East. It also explores intersectionality between and across these areas. The course will cover major questions related to the sources and drivers of poverty and conflict traps, endogenous forces for peace and development and the role of outside assistance in conflict and processes. It will give students a broad theoretical architecture for thinking critically about the issues facing countries in these regions, with the view to testing abstract theories, using empirics and in-depth knowledge of specific case studies.