Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE) Fall 2011

The Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE – pronounced “wah-gah-pay”) brings together faculty and advanced graduate students in Economics and Political Science who combine field research experience in Africa with training in political economy methods. Since 2002, the group has met semi-annually to discuss the work-in-progress of its core members and invited guests. It is co-led by Daniel Posner (Department of Political Science, MIT) and Edward Miguel (Department of Economics, UC Berkeley).

Agenda

• Eric Kramon, “Why Do Politicians Buy Votes When the Ballot is Secret? Theory and Experimental Evidence from Kenya”
• Edward Miguel, “Transportation Choices, Fatalism, and the Value of Life in Africa”
• Nicholas Eubank, “Taxation, Political Accountability, and Foreign Aid: Lessons from Somaliland”
• Ryan Jablonski, “Does Aid Target Votes? How Electoral Strategies Shape the Distribution of Aid”
• Jonas Hjort, “Ethnic Divisions and Production in Firms”
• Lisa Mueller, “Democratic Revolutionaries or Pocketbook Protestors? The Comparative Salience of Personal Rule and Famine in the Nigerien Uprisings of 2009-10”
• Karen Ferree, “Getting Out the Vote Uganda Style: Social and Political Context and Turnout in an African Election”
• Mark Rosenberg, “A Theory of Founding Party Dominance”