Patrick Francois

Patrick’s main area of research is development economics, with a focus on political economy. His research has focused on political institutions in weakly institutionalized settings, spanning the most micro (village level) to the macro (national level) governments. Recent and ongoing projects include explorations of the process of promotions within the Chinese Communist Party, the failed democratization and autocratic reversion in Myanmar, and the means by which reserving political office for members of disadvantaged minorities can increase governance quality in villages. Patrick has been a Co-editor of the Journal of Development Economics since 2011, is an Associate Editor of the American Economic Review, and is currently the Director of the Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia.