ROCKING OUR PRIORS

"Raised to Obey": Agustina Paglayan Nov 19, 2024

Professor Agustina Paglayan has a fascinating new book: “Raised to Obey”! She contends that mass primary education systems were primarily established to consolidate state authority and maintain social order. But what about industrialisation, democratisation or the Protestant Reformation? And why should education experts consider Political Economy? Book: https://www.amazon.com/Raised-Obey-Education-Princeton-Economic/dp/069126127X/

How does Low Fertility Affect Economic Growth, Worldwide? Jesús Fernández-Villaverde Oct 02, 2024

How exactly does low fertility affect economic growth, are UN population predictions accurate, what’s driving the decline in fertility, and what can be done? To answer these questions, I’m joined by the brilliant macro-economist, Jesús Fernández-Villaverde Read his recent paper: The Wealth of Working Nations https://www.nber.org/papers/w31914

Daron Acemoglu, V4.0: Rebooting Culture & Economics! Sep 01, 2024

Professor Daron Acemoglu is famous for his careful empirical research, demonstrating the economic importance of institutions. But actually, he’s done a 180 to embrace culture! In this podcast we discuss his new theory of culture, what drives liberty and prosperity, the limits of democracy, and the importance of geography!

How did East Asia Get Rich? Aug 30, 2024

Dr Oliver Kim has completed his PhD at Berkeley, recently appointed at Open Philanthropy. He does awesome research, carefully examining the drivers of structural transformation. We discussed: Why do you think East Asia is the only world region to have converged with the West? How have big data and computational tools changed our understanding of structural transformation? Oliver's website: https://oliverwkim.com/ His substack: https://www.global-developments.org/

Netflix and Change: Tracking Cultural Flux in Autocracies Jul 26, 2024

“Vikings is no. 1 from all the Saudi men 😂”. Leila chuckled as we browsed top hits on Netflix. For only 30 Riyals (8 USD) a month, Saudis can tune into stories about uncovered pagans. A global feast of delights are now on offer - from Western films to women’s football. Rapid cultural change is afoot in Saudi Arabia, a unique experiment in top-down secularisation. But how can we as social scientists study such rapid cultural evolution in real-time, especially in an autocracy? In this podcast, I’ll highlight some exciting new methodologies. Buckle up.

Culture isn't a fossil, it's a fist-fight! Jul 22, 2024

Culture is not a static inheritance, but a dynamic arena of ongoing struggle. From the mosques of Jakarta to the classrooms of Louisiana, from TikTok feeds to university lecture halls, ideological warfare rages. This podcast explores the complex interplay of several crucial factors shaping our cultural landscape: Contestation: Culture is a battlefield where competing ideologies clash, merge, and evolve. Prestigious actors and institutions are especially influential, as others look to them as successful. No norm is set in stone; instead, we see a perpetual push and pull between progressive and conservative forces, each vying to define societal values. Economic growth, technological advances and political freedoms do not entail cultural liberalisation. These are merely vehicles - to be used by progressives and conservatives alike. Religious and cultural traditions: Deep-seated beliefs shape the receptiveness to change, and the scope of public debate. Drawing on my qualitative research across nine world regions and evidence from multiple disciplines, this podcast examines ideological battles in diverse settings, from the United States to the Middle East, Southeast Asia to Latin America.

PRESTIGE BIAS Jul 18, 2024

Imagine: Elon Musk's tweet causes a cryptocurrency frenzy. Kim Kardashian’s outfit becomes an overnight fashion sensation. Daron Acemoglu and colleagues’ paper on settler mortality reshapes economic thinking. The Pope’s words influence millions globally. What links these diverse events? They’re all powerful manifestations of prestige bias. Psychologically, we seek guidance from those who’ve achieved success, looking to emulate their paths to prosperity and social approval. This creates a dynamic where the accomplished influence others, often reinforcing their own status in the process. From NBER’s Summer Institute to the glitz of Hollywood, prestige bias permeates every sphere of human endeavour. However, its impact is perhaps most profound and far-reaching in the realm of religion. Join me on a journey to the heart of the Muslim world, where we’ll explore the influence of Cairo’s Al-Azhar - a beacon of Islamic scholarship whose teachings reverberate globally. Through this lens, we’ll uncover how prestige bias shapes not just individual choices, but entire cultural paradigms.

Why Is Management So Male? Jul 11, 2024

Senior management remains heavily male, and honestly I’m not entirely sure why. Economist Ingrid Haegele finds that junior men are more likely to apply for promotions, primarily due to a greater desire for team leadership. Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.07750.pdf Haegele: https://www.ingridhaegele.com/

How Do Men Come To Value Female Talent? Jul 09, 2024

During the World War I, the US federal government was short on civil servants and actively recruited women. Abhay Aneja, Silvia Farina, and Guo Xu find that men with multiple female colleagues were subsequently more likely to marry working women and father careerist daughters! Crucially, the effect is larger when men have many female colleagues and it becomes perfectly conventional. Paper: https://www.nber.org/papers/w32639

"Mission-Driven Bureaucrats": Dan Honig Jul 03, 2024

How can we improve government capacity and public services? In “Mission-Driven Bureaucrats”, Dan Honig argues that civil servants are often deeply committed, yet hobbled by strict rule books. Trapped by top-down strictures, civil servants may even become disillusioned. Unable to help, they quit. Government ministries can be so much more effective if motivated civil servants actually have the autonomy to be creative, independent, and fix local problems. How do we know this? 4 million individual observations, along with in-depth case research in Detroit, Senegal, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Liberia. We discuss: What do most efforts to improve public management get wrong? How does management style affect recruitment and effectiveness? How can managers build cultures where workers feel empowered? Get the book: https://danhonig.info/missiondrivenbureaucrats

What Explains The Great GAY Divergence? Jun 29, 2024

Imagine a world where love knows no boundaries, where two people can marry regardless of their gender. Now open your eyes. In some parts of the globe, this is reality. In others, it's a distant dream. Twenty years ago, a mere 26% of Americans supported same-sex marriage. Today, that figure has skyrocketed to 69%. That is extremely rapid cultural change in favour of love and liberalism. But hold your applause, because here’s the plot twist: most of the world is not joining the parade. When asked about their least desired neighbours, most Africans and Asians still say “homosexuals”. The roots of this divergence go back two thousand years. Truth be told, it’s all about love. In 1950, most of the world was homophobic, but with crucial cross-cultural variation. Some parts of the world celebrated marital love and secular liberalism. Shaking off the shackles of sexual puritanism, activists could persuade wider publics to welcome diversity, for ‘love is love’. Patrilineal societies have been far less receptive, as they prioritised intergenerational loyalty. Religious revival is another major impediment, exemplified by Brazilian Evangelicals, fanning the flames of homophobia. So, for those curious, here’s a little preview of my second book, “The Great GAY Divergence”

The Islamic Revival: Professor Aaron Rock-Singer Jun 24, 2024

Aaron Rock-Singer is a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative. He has published two fantastic books, “Practicing Islam: Egypt’s Islamic Revival” and “In the Shade of the Sunna: Salafi Piety in the Twentieth-Century Middle East”. Aaron is truly brilliant, connecting both the macro and the micro. By examining structural shifts in education and urbanisation as well as Islamic print media, he shows how modernisation triggered counter-mobilisation. We discuss: How did colonialism change religiosity and religious practices in Egypt? Why were post-independence leaders relatively secular? What was the Islamic revival? What was new? Did the 1970s economic downturn raise support Islamists? Why was there a global religious revival in the 1970s? Why was female behaviour so central to religious revival? Would Egypt’s Islamic revival have occurred in the absence of Saudi funding and migration?

Modern Threats and Religious Backlash Jun 20, 2024

The Ten Commandments must now be displayed in all Louisiana’s public school classrooms. The law, signed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry, requires poster-sized copies with easily readable text. Why is this happening? Is it unprecedented? Actually, it echoes the 1970s global religious revival. Threatened by liberal modernity, conservatives worldwide leveraged new technologies and defensively mobilised to institutionalise piety. In this podcast, I draw on my comparative research to highlight parallel trends in Uzbekistan, Kyrygzstan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the U.S.

"Islam And Citizenship in Indonesia": Robert Hefner Jun 10, 2024

Professor Robert Hefner has a tremendous new book, “Islam and Citizenship in Indonesia: Democracy and the Quest for an Inclusive Public Ethics”. It’s one of my favourite books of the year, drawing on thirty years of ethnographic research. Today, he joins “Rocking Our Priors”. We discuss: Indonesia’s religious history Why have Hinduism and Buddhism have largely faded in Indonesia? Why were madrasas were rare until the 19th century? What explains the rise in normative Islam? - Economic development and technological advances? - Backlash against secular schooling? - Criminality and demand for moral order? - Saudi funding - The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

"A History of the Muslim World": Michael Cook May 29, 2024

Michael Cook's "A History of the Muslim World" is my favourite book of 2024. Together, we discussed: - Did Islamic science weaken due to religious authoritarianism? - Why, in the Middle East and North Africa, were there so few peasant rebellions? - Theologically, how important was Ghazali? - What determined the rate at which people converted to Islam? - Why was there so much religious syncretism and diversity in the Ottoman Empire? - Why did the Muslim world fall behind economically? - Did the Ottoman Empire ban the printing press? - Why is South Asia the only place where Muslims ruled for hundreds of years yet remained a minority? - When you study the global history of Islam, what is the best indicator of how Muslim they really were? - Did colonialism trigger an Islamic backlash? - Why do Muslim countries often have weak state capacity? Timur Kuran blames waqfs. Do you agree? "A History of the Muslim World": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691236575/a-history-of-the-muslim-world On my Substack, you can see my earlier reviews: https://www.ggd.world/p/a-history-of-the-muslim-world-by

What's Driving the Global Decline in Trust? May 23, 2024

Trust is down, worldwide. In India, Iran, Indonesia and Nigeria, less than 15% say that ‘most people can be trusted’. What’s going on? I suggest several likely mechanisms: 1) Generalised distrust is correlated with strong family bonds 2) Poorer countries have rapidly urbanised at a lower level of income 3) Rule of law varies worldwide 4) Political contestation and growing polarisation 5) Online connectivity has boomed, and is increasingly negative My Substack has graphs, data and further resources: https://www.ggd.world/p/whats-driving-the-global-decline

What led to the demise of foot-binding? Apr 22, 2024

What led to the demise of foot-binding? by Dr Alice Evans

Who are the world's most influential philosophers? Apr 09, 2024

Who are the world's most influential philosophers? by Dr Alice Evans

What prevents Hindu-Muslim conflict? Saumitra Jha Apr 05, 2024

Saumitra Jha (Associate Professor of Political Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business) joins me to discuss what prevents Hindu-Muslim conflict. We discuss his paper on "Trade, Institutions, and Ethnic Tolerance: Evidence from South Asia" https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/trade-institutions-and-ethnic-tolerance-evidence-from-south-asia/534E0018C1431E7A7615B4FAD26DEB3E

Is Pakistan becoming more Patriarchal? Mar 29, 2024

Over the 20th century, the entire world became more gender equal. Or so I thought. But Pakistan has rocked my priors. Female employment has slightly risen. Meanwhile, young Pakistani women are more sexist than their grandmothers. What is going on? Charts and graphs are on my Substack: https://www.ggd.world/p/is-pakistan-becoming-more-patriarchal

The Patriarchal Political Order: Soledad Artiz Prillaman Mar 23, 2024

The Patriarchal Political Order: Soledad Artiz Prillaman by Dr Alice Evans

Slave-Raiding, Solidarity and Status in Africa Mar 18, 2024

Slave-Raiding, Solidarity and Status in Africa by Dr Alice Evans

Sub-Saharan Africa's Economic Stagnation Mar 14, 2024

Sub-Saharan Africa's Economic Stagnation by Dr Alice Evans

What Would Reduce Female Genital Cutting? Mar 14, 2024

What Would Reduce Female Genital Cutting? by Dr Alice Evans

Why is female employment low in India? How might that change? Suhani Jalota & Lisa Ho Mar 10, 2024

Why is India's female labour force participation so low? And how might that change? Suhani Jalota and Lisa Ho share insights from their brilliant work in Mumbai and West Bengal. This discussion is superbly insightly and great fun. Stay tuned for jokes & data. Paper on Mumbai: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/z3v4gxqpkvc4p9ntjy0ie/h?dl=0&e=1&preview=Jalota_Suhani_WhatWorksForHer.pdf&rlkey=ca71mbrtewdo92exnmop1q0b8 Paper on West Bengal: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vyzkrzwv2xlce1woj9hcm/lisaho_jmp_hjk_bwh.pdf?rlkey=aj66ghiptyslj5l7lawr9kzgs&e=1&dl=0

Does Egalitarianism enable more Gender Equality? Mar 09, 2024

If everyone is equal, it’s much more acceptable for women to get to the top. In societies where no one is special, men seem much more accepting of female leadership. Whereas in hierarchical cultures, where subordinates must bow to their bosses, female managers and politicians are more strongly disliked. They may even trigger backlash. This is a novel theory of gender inequality. I believe it helps explain why Russia and Nigeria’s parliaments are almost entirely male, just like Korean and Japanese male-dominated management. If I’m right, then Scandinavia’s feminist secret is not so much about gender, but rather an evolution of moral and political egalitarianism.

Romantic Love is an Under-Rated Driver of Gender Equality Mar 08, 2024

Patriarchy is reinforced by fraternal solidarity. The Athenian demos, German guilds, Tswana kgotla, Chinese imperial dynasties, Muslim Brotherhood and Indian caste panchayats all reinforced male dominance. As long as men are united, bound in collective loyalty, women are secondary. How might this change? On International Women’s Day, I’d like to highlight a hugely important (but widely overlooked) driver of gender equality. In fact, this mechanism is so powerful that it is actively suppressed by many patriarchal societies. ROMANTIC LOVE

What’s the Future of the US Labor Movement? Suresh Naidu Mar 01, 2024

What’s the Future of the US Labor Movement? Suresh Naidu by Dr Alice Evans

Why Do East Asian Firms Value Drinking? Feb 25, 2024

East Asian businesses often go out drinking. Why is this such an important part of corporate culture, relative to other world regions? A month ago, I didn’t know. Now, after my interviews with people in China and Korea, the answer is very obvious.

Ideals of Collective Harmony Feb 22, 2024

In some societies, collective harmony is more highly valued than self-expression. If people are reluctant to speak out, prior culture is more likely to persist unchallenged. Caring deeply about social approval amplifies fears of ostracism and motivates quiet conformity. Moreover, where self-assertion is strongly disliked, feminist activism is more likely to trigger patriarchal backlash. This is a hugely important, but widely overlooked driver of ‘the Great Gender Divergence’.

Ideals of Upward Mobility Feb 22, 2024

What I am about to say may make you feel uncomfortable. Some may even find it offensive. In some circles, it’s still a distasteful taboo. Westerners rarely speak about it publicly, certainly not directly, even though most people definitely want it. As a social scientist, I am not so squeamish. So I’ll say it…

How is East Asian culture different? Feb 22, 2024

East Asian societies tend to idealise: - Meritocracy and reverence for education - Upward mobility and economic prosperity (trumping the afterlife) - Collective harmony.

Hostile Sexism in South Korea: Professor Jouen Kim Feb 16, 2024

Hostile Sexism in South Korea: Professor Jouen Kim by Dr Alice Evans

What Prevents & What Drives Gendered Ideological Polarisation? Jan 27, 2024

Across much of the world, men and women think alike. However, in countries that are economically developed and culturally liberal, young men and women are polarising. As chronicled by John Burn-Murdoch, young women are increasingly likely to identify as ‘progressives’ and vote for leftists, while young men remain more conservative. What explains this global heterogeneity?

How do Exogamy and Endogamy shape Economics and Culture? Jan 22, 2024

Exogamy and endogamy aren’t just about who marries your daughter, but with whom you barter, truck and exchange. Marriage was fundamentally about economics. So how did exogamy and endogamy shape economics and culture?

Why are some rich countries conservative? Jan 21, 2024

In the West economic development spawned individualism and the spirit of ‘68. Modernisation theorists predicted that growth would deliver liberalism worldwide. Inglehart and Welzel argued that post-industrial societies would champion self-expression. But in fact, this has not transpired. Many prosperous places - like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and South Korea - remain quite conservative. India’s economic growth has not delivered secularism, but Hindu nationalism. Why explains this global cultural divergence?

How East Asia overtook South Asia on Gender Jan 18, 2024

In 1900, East and South Asia were extremely patriarchal. Men were revered as high status, while female sacrifice was glorified. By socialising women to marry, obey their in-laws and stay put, Asian families consolidated trusted networks of social cooperation. Since chastity was crucial for family honour, women were also tightly restricted. But, over the 20th century, East Asian women increasingly undertook paid work in the public sphere, forged solidarity and gained status. Growth also catalysed a broader process of cultural liberalisation: autonomy, dating, and divorce. South Asian patriarchy is much more persistent. Intimate partner violence remains normalised. To explain this divergence, I suggest that every patrilocal family faces a trade-off between honour (achieved by social policing) and income (earned by exploiting female labour). East Asian female employment rose because rising wages compensated for honour. East Asian culture also differed: they lacked endogamy and were less concerned about female seclusion. This is the audio track of my new paper. For ease of listening, I have not added the references into the audio track. If you wish to read the full paper, it is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VFEFazSbYM2jPVeqC2EUJDcRyHcuNqpD/view?usp=sharing

Why do Poor Indian Women Reject Office Jobs? Dec 30, 2023

Why is Indian female labour force participation ultra low? To investigate, Suhani Jalota and Lisa Ho ran a Randomised Control Trial in Mumbai. They find that most women reject high-paying office jobs. This is not due to housework or childcare. Husbands said no. The paper: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/z3v4gxqpkvc4p9ntjy0ie/h?preview=WfH_JMP+(47).pdf&rlkey=ca71mbrtewdo92exnmop1q0b8&dl=0 My Substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/why-did-poor-indian-women-reject?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2

"Conquest & Rents": Professor Faisal Ahmed Oct 07, 2023

Muslim societies are more likely to be authoritarian and marred in civil war. The big question is why? Faisal Ahmed presents a new theory: “Conquest and Rents”. He suggests that where Islam spread via military conquest, political authority was consolidated under a dictator. Political authority was then consolidated under a dictator, with elite slave soldiers, who were compensated with non-hereditary land grants. Absolutist rule was then legitimised by clerics. Authoritarianism persists if propped up by rents (oil or foreign aid). Where rents declined, these societies erupted in civil war (like Somalia). Where Islam spread through trade, these societies remained more cohesive. So when rents declined, they democratised. It's one of the most fascinating books I've read in 2023. I strongly recommend it and hope you enjoy our podcast.

Stopping Sexual Harassment Sep 16, 2023

Stopping Sexual Harassment by Dr Alice Evans

“The Two-Parent Privilege” Sep 16, 2023

“The Two-Parent Privilege” by Dr Alice Evans

Can We End Alcohol Abuse? Sep 09, 2023

One feasible way to massively reduce violence is to tackle alcohol abuse. It is one of the single largest predictors of gender based violence worldwide, and it is not inevitable. Religious prohibitions, government bans and higher taxes can substantially reduce consumption. Many addicts wish they were not dependent on alcohol. I’m curious to learn whether voluntary drugs like ozempic could help those who wish to give up the bottle.

The Rise and Fall of the East, Professor Yasheng Huang Aug 29, 2023

A conversation with MIT Professor Yasheng Huang Why is the CCP so resilient? How did the keju imperial examinations shape Chinese autocracy and culture? What does South Korea tell us about growth, democratisation and culture? Discussing his new book: https://yalebooks.co.uk/page/detail/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-east/?k=9780300266368

How to Study the Rise of the Far Right? Aug 26, 2023

Why do a quarter of European young men say they’ll vote for the far right? It’s not just men. In France, The Netherlands and Belgium, the far right is equally popular with women. Existing scholarship has emphasised regional development traps, economic anxiety, and cultural backlash. Quantitative researchers typically regress individual- or place-based characteristics. In this podcast, I want to throw a spanner in the works, by highlighting the salience of distant events.

Why are Gender Pay Gaps so Huge in Japan and South Korea? Aug 25, 2023

All East Asian tigers have converged economically with rich industrialised democracies, but only some have converged culturally, in terms of gender equality. Why is this?

Confidence, Competitiveness and Institutions Aug 22, 2023

Men comprise 90% of heads of state, 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs, and 90% of applications for patents. Prestigious positions are dominated by men. Why is this? Motherhood, discrimination, social networks and patriarchal institutions all play a role. But there may also be gender differences in personality. Men are typically more confident and competitive. Is equality then doomed? Should women be urged to lean in? And how much do gender differences in personalities really matter?

How does Rural Prosperity affect Marriages in Bangladesh? Aug 22, 2023

Poverty entrenches cousin marriage and patriarchal controls. What happens when crop yields improve and families become wealthier? Mobabark, Kuhn & Peters's paper is here: https://spinup-000d1a-wp-offload-media.s3.amazonaws.com/faculty/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2019/06/marriage-market2.pdf

Extreme Flooding worsens Early Marriage & Early Motherhood Aug 16, 2023

Monsoon rains can cause enormous damage. Extreme floods are becoming more frequent, alongside global warming. Extreme flooding may increase early marriage and early childbirth, while lowering schooling. This comes from an important new paper in the Journal of Population Economics, by Madhulika Khanna and Nishtha Kochhar. Paper link: https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s00148-023-00955-z?sharing_token=ZikcGqicftAq-ywgduXnXfe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY6wF4GChhXkhRp_0NqzxJpmqSt-4RTpTB1Ap11SZymZWN3bLZbUZHz-NkFkEQksvsU1gZxPGabUegWSbc5DKPaExzPX4gE80q-1LPzd4EBgVt899muxWk1PcCOpWEbgkeo=

The East Asian Miracle (for women) Aug 16, 2023

Societies vary in their preference for female seclusion. But regardless of culture, female employment rises with job-creating growth. Singapore provides a perfect natural experiment, we can observe how 3 different ethnic groups responded to industrialisation.

Does Emigration foster Conservatism? Aug 16, 2023

Panel data provides useful information about attitudinal change in that place. But even if certain countries show persistent traditionalism, we cannot assume this is due to culture. It’s possible - as in Eastern Europe - that many liberals have simply left.

How can rich countries promote gender equality in development cooperation? Aug 09, 2023

The UK government will publish a white paper on international development by the end of 2023. It will set out their approach to international development to 2030. How can they best support gender equality? I have 7 evidence-based suggestions - relating to jobs, climate, lead-poisoning, culture and migration.

Does Fiction Foster Empathy? Aug 09, 2023

By immersing ourselves in another person’s trials and tribulations, are we better able to recognise diverse perspectives and constraints? Might reading fiction, viewing plays and watching television have helped Americans become culturally looser - more open-minded and tolerant?

Can Social Media Campaigns undo Sexism? Aug 08, 2023

Egypt is one of the most patriarchal countries in the world. 90% of men say that ‘a woman should tolerate violence to keep the family together’. A new paper in Nature examines whether these attitudes can be changed through social media messaging. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01665-y?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nathumbehav My Substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/can-social-media-undo-sexism

Culture and Jobs in Asia Aug 08, 2023

A new NBER paper by Barbara Fraumeni sheds light on how culture mediates gender gaps in education and employment. https://www.nber.org/papers/w31535 My Substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/culture-and-job-in-asia

"Freedoms Delayed": Timur Kuran (review) Aug 06, 2023

Why does the Middle East rank poorly for rule of law, trust, civil liberties and corruption? Waqfs and apostasy rules are the root causes, argues Timur Kuran This podcast reviews his new book, "Freedoms Delayed".

"Outsourcing Repression": Professor Lynette Ong Aug 04, 2023

How has the CCP maintained control? - Coercive violence is outsourced to thugs, enabling the state to maintain legitimacy. - Respected social networks engage in ideological propaganda & persuasion (sometimes via shaming). Tremendous new book by Professor Lynette Ong Book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/outsourcing-repression-9780197628768?cc=gb&lang=en&

“Putin vs. the People”: Greene & Robertson (review) Aug 02, 2023

In “Putin vs. the People”, Samuel Greene and Graham Robertson suggest the annexation of Crimea triggered a groundswell of national pride. Russians rallied for the flag. They saw Putin more positively, turned a blind-eye to corruption, and even became more economically optimistic. This motivated wider conformity and social policing. Seizing on geopolitical glory and newfound loyalty, Putin then tightened the screws. Book: https://yalebooks.co.uk/page/detail/putin-vs-the-people/?k=9780300268362 My Substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/putin-vs-the-people-by-greene-and?sd=pf

The Origins of States Jul 30, 2023

What led to the emergence of states? David Schönholzer and Pieter François have a fascinating new paper, arguing that states, cooperation and conflict all emerged more quickly and more typically in places with great farming and weak exit options. Their paper: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7c34efbpe1ezy67/OOS_web.pdf?dl=0 My substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/the-origins-of-states

Wartime Patriarchs Jul 28, 2023

When states are under siege, they militarise. Frightened publics want bellicose leaders and higher military spending. Once in power, militarists entrench their institutional and cultural dominance. They fan fears, act tough, and secure public support. Conflicts change popular priorities, not least by reinforcing respect and reverence for macho leaders. Countries threatened by war and terrorism are thus more likely to be governed by men. Peace, therefore, is a hugely important pathway to gender equality.

Did Gulags make Russians Anti-Gay? Jul 26, 2023

Prisons may have far-reaching effects on culture, especially where incarceration is widespread. Russia has high rates of both imprisonment and homophobia. 66% of Russians don’t want gay neighbours. That’s increased from 58% in 1999. Almost everywhere elsewhere in Europe, homophobia has fallen. What explains Russian exceptionalism? An important new paper by Maxim Ananyev and Michael Poyker suggests that Russia’s prisons may have fermented homophobia. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4227900 Trigger warning: this piece discusses physical and sexual torture. Substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/did-gulags-turn-russians-anti-gay

Does Patriarchal Policing Suppress Innovation? Jul 25, 2023

Culturally tight societies tend to have fewer innovations. Could asymmetric cultural policing help explain women's lower share of patents and leadership? Xin Qin et al 2023: https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad238/7227277 Link to all papers: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/does-patriarchal-policing-suppress

Corruption & Votes for Women Jul 24, 2023

A wealth of evidence from the US, Eastern Europe and Latin America suggests that when voters are concerned about corruption, they favour female outsiders. Graphs and links to articles can be found at https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/corruption-and-votes-for-women

What does "Barbie" get wrong about patriarchy? Jul 23, 2023

The new “Barbie” film portrays the rise and fall of patriarchy. I have assessed its empirical accuracy. If you’ve watched it and want to reflect on real world parallels, you might enjoy my review. But if you just want to enjoy it or are yet to see it, PLEASE DO NOT LISTEN.

The Rise of the Right in Southern Europe Jul 22, 2023

Right-wing parties have surged to power in Italy and Greece. Spaniards vote tomorrow, it may be for a right-wing government. What explains this trend? Economic stagnation has exacerbated frustrations, especially around masculinity. Men can no longer provide for their families single-handedly. Right-wing leaders have gained popularity by celebrating motherhood, vilifying feminists and scape-goating migrants. Substack link: https://draliceevans.substack.com/publish/post/135352414

"Conquests & Rents" by Faisal Ahmed (review) Jul 21, 2023

Everyone knows that Muslim societies are more likely to be authoritarian and marred in civil war. The typical Muslim society is twice as likely to experience a civil war with 1000 battle deaths a year. The big question is why? Islamic culture, Islamic law, the ulema-state alliance and oil have all been suggested. But they are inadequate. They fail to explain Muslim countries’ heterogeneity. Why are some Muslim countries (like Indonesia) actually democratic? Why are some Muslim dictatorships so durable, while others (like Somalia) have erupted in civil war? Faisal Ahmed presents a new theory: “Conquest and Rents”. Of all the books I’ve read in 2023, this is one of the most original, insightful, and important. It radically improved my understanding of our world.

Working-Class Men's Patriarchal Nostalgia Jul 20, 2023

‘Good jobs’ for high school graduates have dwindled. Manufacturing and other manual-intensive occupations that on average paid substantially higher salaries than services have disappeared. This has undercut men’s ability to provide, bruised their egos, fostered patriarchal nostalgia, and catalysed votes for the far right. This podcast explains how we got here and who is affected. For graphs and links, please see my substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/structural-transformation-and-patriarchal?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2

Queens of the Arabs Jul 18, 2023

Did you know that Arab tribes in the 8th-7th century BCE were mostly led by women? While this is not evidence of wider matriarchy, it certainly rocks my priors. Arab women were once revered as leaders. How do we know? Assyrian royal inscriptions refer to nine “Queens of the Arabs”. The images referenced are in my substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/arab-matriarchy?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2 This podcast draws on research by Ellie Bennet which you can read here: https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/328402

Imperial Expansion & Female Seclusion in Assyria Jul 18, 2023

Assyria was the world’s first empire. Powerful kings marshalled professional armies, conquered vast territory (from Anatolia to the Persian Gulf), presided over a complex bureaucracy, deported thousands of workers, and accumulated harems of concubines. In the previous millennium, its capital (Ashur) was actually a bit more egalitarian, with checks on executive dominance. What changed and why? In this podcast, I discuss Eckhart Frahm’s fascinating new book (Assyria) alongside globally-comparative new research on imperial expansion and authoritarianism.

Attacks on Women who Rise Up Jul 14, 2023

When women rise up to positions of power, they are often attacked. Gianmarco Daniele, Gemma Dipoppa, and Massimo Pulejo have a tremendous paper analysing (online and offline) attacks on Italian mayors. Marginally elected women are 3 times more likely to be attacked. The question is why? Full paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4508878

The Economic & Cultural Causes of Conflict Jul 13, 2023

The Economic & Cultural Causes of Conflict by Dr Alice Evans

Does Patriarchy Suppress Cognitive Development? Jul 11, 2023

Does Patriarchy Suppress Cognitive Development? by Dr Alice Evans

Why was Ancient Nubia less controlling than Ancient Egypt? Jul 10, 2023

Ancient Nubia presents a puzzle, suggests David Wengrow. “How [did] its population manage to prevent the emergence of domination in their own midst, despite the existence of Egyptian models of governance on their doorstep and the effects of recurring Egyptian predation on their people and resources[?]”. This podcast discusses geography, states and culture.

The Roots of Cooperation Jul 06, 2023

Americans used to farm a rich variety of crops. Some were very labour intensive, requiring neighbourly cooperation. In these counties, parents were more likely to give their children names that were common. This may indicate a desire for conformity. By contrast, in areas where farmers could be more self-sufficient, they chose names that were more individualistic. And when exogenous shifts propelled farmers into economic autonomy, they became even more self-expressive. This podcast digs into a phenomenal new paper by Martin Fiszbein, Yeonha Jung and Dietrich Vollrath https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w29643/w29643.pdf My Substack: https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/the-roots-of-cooperation

Why are East Asians culturally tight collectivists? Jul 05, 2023

East Asians typically prefer social cohesion and harmony, rather than self-expression and individualism. They are ‘culturally tight’. While Latin Americans believe it’s fine to pick and choose your friends, East Asians tend to expect group loyalty. Why might this be? Let’s explore 4 hypotheses: Rice Socio-economic threats Confucianism Authoritarianism For pictures and graphs, see https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/why-are-east-asians-culturally-tight

Why has Latin American female employment risen in the absence of growth? Jul 01, 2023

Why has Latin American female employment risen in the absence of growth? by Dr Alice Evans

Have house prices pushed up female employment? Jun 29, 2023

Have house prices pushed up female employment? by Dr Alice Evans

"Power & Progress": Professor Daron Acemoglu Jun 28, 2023

We are living in an age of incredible technological innovation. But is it actually benefitting humanity? MIT Professors Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson have a tremendous new book on this exact question: “Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle over Technology and Prosperity”. Professor Daron Acemoglu joins me today. In this podcast, we explore: • Why social scientists should pay attention to ‘vision’ • Did automation cause premature deindustrialisation? • Is firm size important? • Why did wages rise so rapidly in South Korea? • What’s caused the fall in worker power? • Why has automation increased? • How can technology be redirected?

Toxic Masculinity Jun 25, 2023

Lead poisoning rots your brain. Babies exposed to lead are more likely to academically under-perform, get suspended, and become violent criminals. As far as I am aware, no one has researched how lead impacts gender. But the existing evidence suggests it could be seriously corrosive - especially in low and middle-income countries.

Reverse Dominance Coalitions Jun 20, 2023

Status inequalities persist if they are normalised and culturally celebrated, while critics are shamed, disparaged and ostracised. Culture only changes when masses of people speak out in solidarity, embolden each other with righteous resistance, and collectively establish expectations of equality. I call these “Reverse Dominance Coalitions”.This Substack is split into 3 parts: - A Global Culture of Patriarchy - Reverse Dominance Coalitions (RDCs) - How RDCs Can Foster Gender Equality

What’s the biggest human rights abuse in China? Jun 16, 2023

“Violent Intimacy” - a new book by Tiantian Zhen - highlights how the Chinese state perpetuates extreme cruelty.

Why dont men want so many kids? Jun 16, 2023

Both conservatives and progressives typically presume that falling fertility is due to a shift in women’s preferences. Conservatives often lay blame on “over-educated women”, privileging their careers. Progressives, meanwhile, emphasise women’s burdens. Since men and the state provide so little support, motherhood is an unbearable hit (Doepke et al 2022). Right and left both assume that men would love to have more kids, but fertility is being dragged down by women. Is that assumption correct?

Parenting, violence & fertility: 4 papers from Libertad Gonzalez Jun 14, 2023

Parenting, violence & fertility: 4 papers from Libertad Gonzalez by Dr Alice Evans

What is Patriarchy? Jun 12, 2023

I was just asked to define patriarchy in two sentences. Let me try! In patriarchal societies, prestigious positions are dominated by men; this reinforces beliefs that men are more competent in socially valued domains, deserving of deference, and speak with authority. Feeling entitled to higher status, men may react aggressively if given insufficient respect.

Paternity leave (in feminist Spain) promotes gender equality among kids Jun 11, 2023

In 2007, the Spanish government introduced 2 weeks of paternity leave. A fantastic new paper by Lídia Farré, Christina Felfe, Libertad González and Patrick Schneider finds that children of eligible fathers are now much more gender equal. Why might this be? I suggest that Spain’s post-Franco secular backlash and relentless feminist mobilisation have pushed inequalities to the forefront of public conversations. Widespread endorsement of feminism accelerates cultural change because egalitarians anticipate social support. Spanish fathers overcame the coordination failure that elsewhere suppresses uptake of parental leave. Their children are now much more gender equal. Drawing on new work in neuroscience, I suggest this is because Spanish fathers’ bonding with their babies promoted long-run care-giving.

Economic Precarity & Cultural Persistence Jun 10, 2023

Why have some countries undergone rapid cultural change, while others are marked by persistence? And why does social norm policing often revolve around gender? One key mediating factor is the great economic divergence. Some countries are now rich, while others remain poor. In places with weak job creation and chronic precarity, people remain heavily dependent on kinship networks. Men maintain inclusion in vital networks by ensuring their families conform to established strictures. Fear of social exclusion motivates an instrumental concern for approval. Insecurity and instability - exacerbated by conflicts and ecological threats - may also generate intrinsic desires for group conformity and norm enforcement. Economics is not the whole story, however. Latin America and MENA have undergone similar growth trajectories, yet Latin Americans have become considerably more liberal, secular and supportive of gender equality. Precarity thus only partly explains cultural persistence.

How Culture Normalises Patriarchy Jun 09, 2023

Norms matter, but how exactly? What are the precise mechanisms of cultural persistence? Drawing on my qualitative research in India, Mexico, Morocco, Zambia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Italy and Turkey, I suggest 8 ways in which culture perpetuates gender inequalities: Loving mothers reproduce patriarchal sons Men amass advantage and expect respect Concern for social approval Male-dominated public spaces are seen as lecherous Dissent is suppressed Despondency traps Cultural celebrations naturalise inequalities Religion

How Popular is Andrew Tate? And Why? May 24, 2023

Andrew Tate gained notoriety on social media for espousing sexism. A new public opinion poll by YouGov rocks my priors. Favourability is far higher than I expected. 14% of young British men agree that a wife is her husband’s property. Does this reflect genuine resentment of women’s education and employment, as well as rejection on dating apps, or should we blame social media? Determining media impact is challenging, as consumption is driven by demand. But looking back through human history as well as more recent studies on corporate algorithms, we can posit a likely explanation. Rich, successful people are widely revered. Wielding influence and charisma, they can steer public opinion, especially if they’re boosted by corporate algorithms.

Depression and low fertility. Coincidence? May 24, 2023

Wealthy societies are struggling with twin crises: depression and low fertility. Is this a coincidence? Happiness and hope for the future may be necessary conditions for voluntary child rearing. If you think society is doomed, you may not wish to bring children into this world. Iranian exiles told me precisely this, in desperation for their country’s future. Whereas if you think life is great and full of promise, you may be more excited to bring up kids. South Korea has incredibly high rates of male and female suicide. The birth rate, meanwhile, is ultra low: 0.84 births per women. These two facts may be connected.

How might Generative AI affect patriarchy? May 22, 2023

The future is up for grabs. Nothing is pre-determined. We are all ships navigating through oceans of technological innovations, corporate monopolies, charismatic leaders and reverse dominance coalitions. Automation could be designed in a way to raise workers’ marginal productivity and boost their pay. Recognising that there are many potential outcomes, let me share three major risks: 1) Automation could displace labour in developing countries and slow urbanisation 2) Feeling threatened, societies may ramp up cultural tightening and norm policing 3) Authoritarians may use digital technologies to repress feminist activism

What can Google Trends tell us about secularisation and masculinity in the US, Mexico and India? May 22, 2023

As a social scientist, I see myself as constructing a four-dimensional jigsaw, piecing together little bits of data, identifying patterns and iteratively recalibrating. No methodology is perfect, each has its strengths and limitations. Google Trends helps us triangulate public opinion polls. It reveals what internet users actually want to see and learn about. So let's run a few searches for the US, Mexico and India. Share your suggestions!

Is there a Crisis of Masculinity? May 15, 2023

Donald Trump's and Andrew Tate's sexism may go viral, but such views are vanishing. Although algorithms turbo-charge hate, Europeans and Americans increasingly endorse gender equality. In patrilineal Asia, meanwhile, modernisation has created a real crisis of incels. This podcast discusses gender in America, Europe, South Korea, China and India.

Why isn't Canada a feminist utopia? May 02, 2023

Top jobs are universally male-dominated. In response, feminists push for state-subsidised childcare, more involved fathers, and greater support for gender equality. But Canada has already embraced these initiatives, women work at very high rates, yet its senior management remains 64% male. So what’s propping up patriarchy? See my substack for all the graphs https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/why-isnt-canada-a-feminist-utopia

The Motherhood Penalty May 01, 2023

Academia no longer discriminates against women. Controlling for publications, men and women are just as likely to be promoted. But this control neglects an important driver of gender inequality: motherhood. References: Ceci, Kahn and Williams 2023 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15291006231163179 Kim & Moser 2023 https://www.dropbox.com/s/2umv5go9umjdolm/KimMoser.pdf?dl=0 Claudia Goldin 2021 https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691201788/career-and-family Kleven et al 2019 https://www.henrikkleven.com/uploads/3/7/3/1/37310663/klevenetal_aea-pp_2019.pdf

Does rising income inequality fuel female employment? Apr 17, 2023

Small town Alabama rocked my priors. “People here are very judgemental, they look down on you based on wealth, your house, your car or if you’re working in consumer-facing retail”, explained Hannah (a young waitress). Wait a minute. Social judgement based on wealth? I expected social conservativism, not competitive consumerism. When I went to family barbecues, no one gossiped about impropriety. They were far more interested in prosperity. All the couples were dual earners, driving mighty SUVs. Cars are a major status signal: portable displays of wealth and affluence, often heavily bought on credit, to keep up with the Joneses. I wonder, does rising income inequality fuel female employment? Might this explain US-European differences?

What explains uneven progress towards gender equality? Apr 17, 2023

Prejudice and privilege are self-perpetuating. High-status individuals maintain institutions that serve their interests, enabling them to consolidate economic wealth and political power. Through media domination, they cast themselves as heroes. Low-status individuals seldom get the opportunity to challenge this narrative or demonstrate their equally valuable skills, so are forever denigrated. Bias thus remains entrenched. How might this change? Moreover, why have gender gaps in education and employment closed rapidly, while intimidate partner violence and unequal divisions of housework remain entrenched?

A Unified Theory of Marriage Apr 08, 2023

Marriage rates are falling, in some countries faster than others. What explains this global trajectory and heterogeneity? Consider three interacting variables: Religion/ social enforcement Companionship vs. sexual variety Women’s financial security.

"Sacred Foundations: The Religious & Medieval Roots of the European State". Prof Anna Grzymala-Busse Feb 23, 2023

What led to state formation in Europe? Professor Anna Grzymała-Busse argues that rivalry & emulation of the Church enabled state-making! Medieval kings and popes were counterweights (unlike elsewhere in the world). Building on ecclesiastical innovations and competition, secular rulers collected taxes, improved record-keeping and cemented the rule of law. https://politicalscience.stanford.edu/people/anna-grzymala-busse https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691245072/sacred-foundations

Status: Why Is it Everywhere? Professor Celia Ridgeway Feb 23, 2023

What determines status? Why do status hierarchies persist? What happens if people push for higher status before they’re seen as competent? Why are women so nice? What’s the difference between race, gender and class inequalities? Why does racism persist in the US? Professor Celia Ridgeway is at Stanford University: https://sociology.stanford.edu/people/cecilia-ridgeway Her latest book is "Status" https://www.amazon.com/Status-Why-Everywhere-Does-Matter/dp/0871547848

Are Women Less Competitive? Professor Alessandra Cassar Feb 17, 2023

Are women less competitive? Are they less likely to compete for prestige? Why might this be? Under what circumstances are men and women equally competitive? How can institutions reduce the gender gap in status? Conversation with Professor Alessandra Cassar https://www.usfca.edu/faculty/alessandra-cassar

"Rule Makers, Rule Breakers" by Michele Gelfand (Review) Feb 10, 2023

"Rule Makers, Rule Breakers" by Michele Gelfand (Review) by Dr Alice Evans

Is Joblessness Fuelling Hostile Sexism Worldwide Feb 06, 2023

Economic development promotes gender equality. But why? Does industrialisation enable women to liberate themselves from patriarchal control? Or is prosperity paramount for men’s egalitarianism? I’ll try to persuade you of both! Where men’s upward mobility is thwarted, they lash out at women. This holds across America, North Africa and possibly more broadly. My Substack! https://draliceevans.substack.com/p/is-joblessness-fuelling-hostile-sexism

Why does Rwanda have a Strong State while CAR is war-torn? Professor Louisa Lombard Jan 26, 2023

Why has Rwanda got a strong state while CAR is war-torn? What are the historical roots of civil war in CAR? Islamic raiding, colonialism or multi-party democracy? Why does Rwanda differ? Yale Professor of Anthropology Louisa Lombard traces the comparative histories of the Central African Republic and Rwanda. She is FANTASTIC!

What Are The Evolutionary Origins Of Homophobia? Jan 26, 2023

Male coalitions tend to denigrate and exclude effeminate men, because they perceive them as physically weak liabilities - argue Bo Winegard, Tania Reynolds, Roy Baumeister, and E. Ashby Plant. Homophobia does not stem from sexual disgust, but low value in combat! In this podcast, I briefly discuss a new paper, which you can read here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NsirLukIjimuuNc4-S0sir3N6a4wVlbN/view

Why Are Most Comedians Men? Jan 22, 2023

Is it just sexist disregard of hilarious women? But why is it usually boys who play the 'joker' in class and why does everyone seem to laugh more readily at men's ‘humour’, especially if they're senior? Does this hark back to evolution? Is it entirely malleable? What explains this gender inequality?

Why Are Most Humans Religious? Professor Robin Dunbar Jan 17, 2023

Why are most humans religious? How much can be explained by evolutionary psychology? Why do we cooperate? Is it religious injunctions or more emotional? Is religiosity really about cooperation? What about legitimising hierarchy, control, and female self-sacrifice. Muslim women are less likely to go to Friday prayers, but they are still devout. So perhaps group rituals are not so essential? Why did all doctrinal religions emerge within a narrow latitudinal band? Are groups necessarily small? Don’t films and social media scale-up solidarity? What about online mobs viciously attacking their favoured celebrity’s boyfriend’s new girlfriend? Interview with Professor Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Oxford https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/people/robin-dunbar Robin's latest book is on Religion. He has also published excellent books on the science of love and betrayal; the evolution of language; and friendships.

Did Alpha Male Alliances Institutionalise Patriarchy over 300,000 years ago? Jan 12, 2023

For the past 48 hours, my brain has been on fire, transfixed by a ground-breaking new theory. Professor Richard Wrangham argues that councils of elder males enforced patriarchy in the Middle Pleistocene, over 300,000 years ago. Is he right?

Fertility, Parenting & Women’s Rights: Professor Matthias Doepke Nov 15, 2022

What drives shifts in fertility, parenting styles & women's rights? What explains global heterogeneity and change over time? Culture or economics? Join me as I debate Professor Matthias Doepke at the London School of Economics https://www.lse.ac.uk/economics/people/faculty/matthias-doepke We discuss: “Love, Money & Parenting” with Fabrizio Zilibotti https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691171517/love-money-and-parenting “The Economics of Fertility” with Anne Hannusch, Kindermann & Michele Tertilt https://www.nber.org/papers/w29948 “The Economics of Women’s Rights” with Michele Tertilt & Alessandra Voena https://www.nber.org/papers/w17672

Mothers, friends, and male violence: Dr Anukriti Aug 23, 2022

How do women perpetuate patriarchy? Can vouchers boost female friendships? With what effect? Why does female leadership increase male violence? Join me as I learn from the fantastic Dr Anukriti, researcher at the World Bank https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/people/s/s-anukriti Papers discussed: Women’s Political Representation and Intimate Partner Violence https://www.bu.edu/econ/files/2022/06/AEM_June2022.pdf Curse of the Mummy-ji: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1de4h9a5koz24d9/ajae.12114.pdf?dl=0 Convincing the Mummy-ji: Improving Mother-in-Law Approval of Family Planning in India https://www.dropbox.com/s/16qpjnav28mm6bm/aerp_p.20221122.pdf?dl=0

Is Paid Work Always Empowering? Aug 13, 2022

Some economists assume that paid work enhances women’s bargaining power, such that when women earn their own money they push for greater gender equality. Is that correct? Or is the impact of paid work mediated by social context? Vidya Mahambare and Sowmya Dhanaraj often fascinating insights into this question by exploring what happens when women from North India are recruited and then migrate to either rural or urban garment factories in Tamil Nadu. Listening to their work, I learnt how weaker control mechanisms in cities enable women to pursue wider friendships, explore new environments, and exploit diverse economic opportunities. Vidya Mahambare: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uxprEP4AAAAJ&hl=en Sowmya Dhanaraj: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=6sBTLREAAAAJ&hl=en

What Did Acemoglu Get Wrong? Jul 28, 2022

What (if anything) did Acemoglu get wrong? At low levels of development, is democracy really good for growth? Have you changed your mind about religion? On automation, do you now think that culture shapes institutions? Are wages socially determined? With climate breakdown, will you become more of a geographical determinist?

What Don't We Know About Patriarchy? Jul 17, 2022

Are you scrambling for research ideas? In this podcast, I outline some important questions, which existing research cannot answer: Do joint families curtail alcoholism and wife-beating? Do male-majority workplaces suppress female employment? Can gender quotas in male-majority workplaces reduce sexism? Why is the American Southeast so patriarchal? Does rule of law reduce brutish masculinity? Did Christianity curb Norse polygamy? Why are there so few female leaders in West Africa? When does religious diversity tighten patriarchal controls? Why is female employment so high among British Indians, but not British Pakistani or Bangladeshis?

Does it Really Matter if Female Labor Force Participation is Miscounted? Jul 17, 2022

Women’s unpaid work is rarely recorded. “Female labor force participation” can thus be radically underestimated. Does that matter?

3 Things I Got Wrong About Patriarchy Jun 15, 2022

I want to make a confession. In the past I have got things wrong, seriously wrong. Allow me to share why I was so mistaken and how I came to revise my priors.

Did transatlantic slavery and colonial borders wreck West African women’s movements? Jun 12, 2022

Africa’s parliaments are increasingly gender equal, thanks largely to quotas. But there is a curious heterogeneity. Southern and Eastern African legislatures have near parity, while West Africans are ruled by men. Why is West Africa such an outlier?

Ten Thousand Years of Patriarchy, updated! Jun 03, 2022

Our world is marked by the Great Gender Divergence. In South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, most women remain secluded. Chinese women work but are locked out of politics. Latin America has undergone radical transformation, staging massive rallies against male violence and nearly achieving gender parity in political representation. Scandinavia still comes closest to a feminist utopia, but for most of history Europe was far more patriarchal than matrilineal South East Asia and Southern Africa. What explains the Great Gender Divergence? It emerged in the twentieth century as a result of the great divergence in economic and political development across countries. In countries that underwent rapid growth, technological change freed women from domestic drudgery while industry and services increased demand for their labour. Democratisation is equally fundamental. Overturning men’s political dominance and impunity for violence requires relentless mobilisation. Culture, however, mediates the rate at which women seize opportunities created by development and democratisation. Patrilineal societies face what I call an “honour-income trade-off”. Female employment only rises if its economic returns are sufficiently large to compensate for men’s loss of honour. Otherwise, women remain secluded and surveilled with very few friends. Why do some societies have a stronger preference for female cloistering? To answer that question, we must go back ten thousand years. Over the longue durée, there have been three major waves of patriarchalisation: the Neolithic Revolution, pastoral nomadism, and Islam. These ancient ‘waves’ helped determine how gender relations in each region of the world would be transformed by the onset of modern economic growth. Blog with hyperlinks to references: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/ten-thousand-years-of-patriarchy-1

An Intellectual History of the Patriarchy Feb 18, 2022

The vast majority of innovations, companies, and governments are under male authority. Why is this? What led to it? In this piece I crudely synthesise debates on the origins of the patriarchy. Although there is a wealth of research on gender - in different places and time periods, from siloed disciplines and methodologies - it is like a mountain of mosaic pieces. What we have now is millions of fragments. So, let me take a stab at building the mosaic, incorporating insights from archaeology, anthropology, economics, genetics, history, psychology and sociology on the deep roots of the patriarchy. Full text and references: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/an-intellectual-history-of-the-patriarchy

Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa: Professor Achebe Feb 02, 2022

African societies have historically respected women’s authority, spiritual power, physical strength, and moral judgement. Their cosmology upholds gender complementarity. Professor Nwando Achebe (Michigan State University) and I discuss pre-colonial gender relations across Africa. Transcript: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/female-monarchs-and-merchant-queens-in-africa Book: https://www.ohioswallow.com/book/Female+Monarchs+and+Merchant+Queens+in+Africa Author, Professor Achebe: https://history.msu.edu/people/faculty/nwando-achebe/

"Career & Family": Professor Claudia Goldin Oct 15, 2021

Professor Claudia Goldin joins me to discuss "Career & Family: Women's Century-Long Journey Toward Equity". Why do men dominate top jobs? Is this due to women's choices or discrimination? Why are there more women in management in the USA than Europe? What would reduce the gender pay gap? And so much more. Book: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691201788/career-and-family Professor Claudia Goldin: https://scholar.harvard.edu/goldin

Ten Thousand Years Of Patriarchy Oct 09, 2021

This podcast offers some preliminary explorations of The Neolithic Revolution Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages Pre-Colonial Matrilineal and Bilateral Societies The Eurasian Divergence Colonial Latin America The Death of Matriliny Communism Feminist Activism Fraternal Capital It is a work-in-progress. I still have so much to learn. Comments and criticism are very welcome!

Smash the Fraternity Oct 07, 2021

Male bosses and male-dominated workplaces consistently fail to recognise and elevate female talent. Rewards and promotions go to those who put in long hours. Men can take advantage of this system because they are emancipated by women who continue to shoulder the burden of social reproduction at home. Thus the contemporary system of employment is predicated on the domestic gender division of labour. Entrenching their first mover advantage, the male nomenklatura tends to disregard women’s expertise and resist family-friendly reforms. So, if you really want to level the playing field, it’s time to smash the fraternity. Full references here: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/smash-the-fraternity

Did Communism Smash the Patriarchy? Oct 02, 2021

Wherever they ruled, communists engineered cultural change by dethroning religious authorities, educating women, and harnessing them as workhorses. Today, ex-communist countries lead the world for gender parity in education, employment, and management roles. Yet it is my contention that the status of women would have been higher without communism. To the extent that communism suffocated civil society, it choked off strong independent women’s movements and stifled further progress for women that did take place in western societies. One major exception is tribalised or Muslim societies, where female emancipation either would have been severely delayed or never would have happened without communism. If you'd rather read or want the references, here's the blog link: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/did-communism-smash-the-patriarchy

What's Spain's Feminist Secret? Apr 06, 2021

Female employment and political representation have skyrocketed in Iberia. Pioneering the world's first majority-female cabinet, Spain is now the 14th most gender equal country. Italy lags behind, notwithstanding similar economies, climate, legacies of latifundia, and Catholic heritage. What is Spain's feminist secret?

Is xenophobia fuelling female empowerment in the Gulf? Apr 01, 2021

The Middle East is renowned for female seclusion, cousin marriage, and discriminatory family laws. Gulf countries are especially conservative, but have actually seen the world’s greatest leap in female employment. Why is this?

How did East Asia overtake South Asia in gender equality? Mar 10, 2021

Circa 1900, women in East Asia and South Asia were equally oppressed and unfree. But over the course of the 20th century, gender equality in East Asia advanced far ahead of South Asia. What accounts for this divergence? The first-order difference between East and South Asia is economic development. East Asian women left the countryside in droves to meet the huge demand for labour in the cities and escaped the patriarchal constraints of the village. They earned their own money, supported their parents, and gained independence. By contrast, the slower pace of structural transformation has kept South Asia a more agrarian and less urban society, with fewer opportunities for women to liberate themselves. But growth is not the whole story. Cultural and religious norms have persisted in spite of growth. Even though women in South Asia are having fewer children and are better educated than ever before, they seldom work outside the family or collectively challenge their subordination. By global standards, gender equality indicators in South Asia remain low relative to regions at similar levels of development or even compared with many poorer countries. Blog with hyperlinked references here: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/how-did-east-asia-overtake-south-asia

Will the BJP save Muslim women? Jan 31, 2021

Indian Muslims have always been free to apply their own personal laws - concerning marriage, divorce and inheritance. Congress upheld legal pluralism, so as not to aggravate the minority. Modi has no such reservations. He is pursuing a Uniform Civil Code, and presents this as a victory for Muslim women. He's probably right. A UCC would improve gender equality - if women can claim their equal rights. To do so, they need economic autonomy and public safety. Full list of references: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/will-the-bjp-save-muslim-women

Did Irrigation Entrench the Patriarchy? Jan 04, 2021

In a fascinating new paper, Per Fredriksson and Satyendra Gupta find that areas with low irrigation potential have higher female labour force participation and female property rights. Elsewhere, men cooperated between close kin, battled against outsiders for control over valuable irrigation, captured the gains of greater productivity, developed tight bonds of kinship, while women stayed at home. These irrigation societies also tended to become authoritarian, which constrains feminist activism. Paper: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/225005/1/GLO-DP-0681.pdf Blog with pictures of irrigation systems: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/did-irrigation-entrench-the-patriarchy

Why Do Gender Inequalities Persist? The Importance of Beliefs! Jan 01, 2021

Gender inequalities can persist alongside economic development. This is partly due to gender beliefs. Seldom seeing egalitarian alternatives or successful resistance, women may internalise their subordination and reluctantly comply with a seemingly unchangeable status quo.

What Thwarts Feminist Activism in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia? Dec 31, 2020

Across the world, women have agitated for greater rights, freedoms, and protections, but with differing degrees of success. In some countries, feminist activists have mobilised widespread dissent, secured legal reforms, and pressed for enforcement. Elsewhere, they have been marginalised and maligned. What explains this international heterogeneity? Women are much more likely to collectively criticise unfair practices and organise for reform if they have economic autonomy, move freely in their communities, broaden their horizons through city-living, and become emboldened through civic resistance. Without these preconditions, feminist movements fail to take off. Warning: this is a very depressing post. It pinpoints obstacles in the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia. These include powerful religious authorities, underdevelopment, and female seclusion. To read more on this, check out the references on my blog: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/what-thwarts-feminist-activism

Why is Feminist Activism Thriving in Latin America? Dec 30, 2020

Argentina has just legalised abortion - thanks to relentless feminist activism. Latin America can now boast rapid social change: with rising female employment, soaring representation (outpacing Europe), protections for domestic workers, and ginormous rallies against sexist violence. This sharply contrasts with entrenched patriarchy in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. What is different about Latin America? I would stress relatively weak constraints on women's mobility, economic development and democratisation. These deep roots and disruptors create a fertile environment for sustained mobilisation. This is the audio version of my latest blog. It draws on a wealth of brilliant scholarship. Click here for the bibliography: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/why-is-feminist-activism-thriving-in-latin-america

Why are North & South India so Different on Gender? Oct 07, 2020

Everyone knows that Southern and Northern India are very different in culture, language, and socio-economic development. But the most dramatic regional disparity may be in gender relations. Why is this? Is it due to.. Poverty Colonialism Matriliny Cousin marriage Conquests and purdah Labour-intensive cultivation Ancestral crop yields? If you would rather read than listen, the blog is here: https://www.draliceevans.com/post/why-are-southern-north-eastern-indian-states-more-gender-equal

"The WEIRDest People in The World": Professor Joe Henrich Sep 04, 2020

Professor Joe Henrich (Harvard) presents his new book on 'how Westerners became psychologically peculiar and particularly prosperous'. He suggests that the Western Church eroded kinship in Europe, which enabled a process of cultural evolution, resulting in democratisation, innovation, and economic growth. I present an alternative hypothesis: through economic development, wage labour, non-familial employment, and rural-urban migration, people broaden their networks beyond kinship. So my suggestion is that economic development fosters cultural change. Let me know what you think!! Read more about Professor Henrich: https://henrich.fas.harvard.edu/ And his book: https://weirdpeople.fas.harvard.edu/

How Cities Erode Gender Inequalities Jul 27, 2020

Support for gender equality has increased across the world, especially in cities. Why is this? And what does it tell us about the drivers of social change? World Bank talk, followed by insightful audience questions. Sharing in case it's of wider interest. My research in Zambia & Cambodia suggests that cities: (i) raise the opportunity costs of the male breadwinner model, (ii) increase exposure to women in socially valued roles, and (iii) enable diverse associations, so people can collectively contest established practices. Interests, exposure, and association then reinforce a snowballing process of social change. This work has been published in Gender & Society, and the Annals of the Association of American Geographers. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327035036_HOW_CITIES_ERODE_GENDER_INEQUALITY_A_NEW_THEORY_AND_EVIDENCE_FROM_CAMBODIA https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320921459_Cities_as_Catalysts_of_Gendered_Social_Change_Reflections_from_Zambia

Video: "The Decline and Rise of Democracy" May 27, 2020

Here's the video of my interview with Professor Stasavage: https://youtu.be/T9VCP6ENJ6w We discuss his new book, "The Decline & Rise of Democracy".

"The Decline and Rise of Democracy": Professor David Stasavage May 26, 2020

Crops, technology, & exit options influenced whether societies became democratic or authoritarian - argues Professor David Stasavage. Rulers wanted to tax their people at the right level: extract the maximum revenue without making the goose hiss! Their strategy would depend on crop yields and technology. If caloric output is easy to predict (owing to stable temperature, irrigation, and other technology), rulers could easily calculate the agrarian surplus. But if caloric output varies each year (owing to changing weather patterns and primitive technology), prediction is difficult. Leaders could overcome these informational constraints either by surveying with bureaucrats or by soliciting council governance. Bureaucracies and councils performed the same role: providing information on crop yields. If rulers lacked bureaucratic technology, they would solicit council governance, to ascertain how much to tax. This gave rise to large-scale representative governance - argues Stasavage. In this podcast, we discuss whether this theory explains the dearth of democracy in China and MENA today, and the rise of the Communal Movement in Europe. It's a great read, though I remain sceptical.. There remains a further question: why were European but not Chinese or MENA societies able to collectively organise, and secure democratising reforms? Curious? Buy the book: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691177465/the-decline-and-rise-of-democracy Further readings: Greif & Tabellini: http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/GreifTabellini.pdf Joe Henrich: https://weirdpeople.fas.harvard.edu/ Jonathan Schulz & others: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6466/eaau5141/tab-article-info Frank Fukuyama: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Origins-Political-Order-Prehuman-Revolution/dp/1846682576 Klaus Mühlhahn: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674737358

Video - The Rise & Fall of the Male Breadwinner Apr 23, 2020

I've made a special episode of Rocking Our Priors. It's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgnluTjB-YE Enjoy! So, which do you prefer? Audio or video?

The Rise & Fall of the Male Breadwinner Apr 21, 2020

Today I discuss 3 fantastic new books on work, families, and social change - C19-21. 'Making Motherhood Work: How Women Manage Careers and Caregiving', by Caitlyn Collins https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691178851/making-motherhood-work 'Double Lives: A History of Working Motherhood', by Helen McCarthy www.bloomsbury.com/uk/double-lives-9781408870761/ 'Bread Winner: An Intimate History of the Victorian Economy' by Emma Griffin. yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300230062/bread-winner Also mentioned: 'Women's labour force participation in nineteenth‐century England and Wales' onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ehr.12876 'The Quiet Revolution That Transformed Women’s Employment, Education, and Family' by Claudia Goldin https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/goldin/files/the_quiet_revolution_that_transformed_womens_employment_education_and_family.pdf 'Changes in the Labour Supply of Married Women' by Francine Blau and Lawrence Kahn www.nber.org/papers/w11230.pdf 'From ‘MeToo’ to Boko Haram: A survey of levels and trends of gender inequality in the world' by Stephan Klasen https://www.nber.org/papers/w11230.pdf 'Women Forget That Men are the Masters : Gender Antagonism and Socio-economic Change in Kisii District, Kenya', by Margrethe Silberschmidt www.bookdepository.com/book/9789171064394

"China's Gilded Age: The Paradox of Economic Boom & Vast Corruption". Professor Yuen Yuen Ang Apr 13, 2020

Why has China grown so fast for so long despite vast corruption? In China's Gilded Age, Professor Ang argues that not all types of corruption hurt growth, nor do they cause the same kind of harm. Ang reveals that the rise of capitalism was not accompanied by the eradication of corruption, but rather by its evolution from thuggery and theft to access money. In doing so, she challenges the way we think about corruption and capitalism, not only in China but around the world. This is an excerpt, read by Alice Evans. Professor Ang tweets @yuenyuenang Book details: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/yy-ang/chinas-gilded-age/

"Bread Winner: An Intimate History of the Victorian Economy". Professor Emma Griffin Apr 11, 2020

Nineteenth century Britain saw remarkable economic growth and a rise in real wages. But not everyone shared in the nation’s wealth. Unable to earn a sufficient income themselves, working-class women were reliant on the ‘breadwinner wage’ of their husbands. When income failed, or was denied or squandered by errant men, families could be plunged into desperate poverty from which there was no escape. Emma Griffin unlocks the homes of Victorian England to examine the lives – and finances – of the people who lived there. Drawing on over 600 working-class autobiographies, including more than 200 written by women, Bread Winner changes our understanding of daily life in Victorian Britain. The book: https://yalebooks.co.uk/display.asp?k=9780300230062 https://people.uea.ac.uk/e_griffin Professor Griffin's homepage: https://people.uea.ac.uk/e_griffin On Twitter: @EmmaGriffinHist This podcast is a few audio chapters, read by Dr Alice Evans.

Citizenship & Clientelism across India's Rural-Urban Divide: Dr Gabi Kruks-Wisner Mar 04, 2020

Poor slum-dwellers are FOUR times less likely to believe that they will get a response when directly approaching an official than poor rural villager. So controlling for income, the slum dwellers are much more despondent about government - find Dr Gabi Kruks-Wisner (UVA) and Dr Adam Auerbach (American University). This reflects differing observations and expectations in urban and rural places. What rocked my priors is their argument that clientelism is not bad governance, it does not necessarily worsen outcomes. Perhaps it's just another mode of claims-making? Read her full paper here: https://krukswisner.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/auerbach_kruks-wisner_pop_2020.pdf If you'd like to hear more about "Claiming the State", check out my earlier podcast with Gabi. In the podcast, Gabi highlights Dr Tariq Tachil's paper how ethnographic research can improve surveys: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12116-018-9272-3 We also discuss my paper on Cambodia, which you can read here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0891243219865510 Dr Gabi Kruks Wisner is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Virginia: https://krukswisner.wordpress.com/ @gabi_kw She co-wrote this paper with Dr Adam Auerbach at American University https://www.american.edu/sis/faculty/aauerba.cfm @adam_m_auerbach

How Cities Erode Gender Inequality: Dr Alice Evans Feb 14, 2020

I read aloud my latest paper, "How Cities Erode Gender Inequality", published in Gender & Society: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0891243219865510 This is an experiment! Kindly recorded by the Harvard Kennedy School. One take, in my *slightly* theatrical style. Let me know what you think! :-)

Labor, Global Supply Chains, and the Garment Industry in South Asia: Professor Sanchita Saxena Nov 22, 2019

Professor Sanchita Saxena shares insights on her new book on "Labor, Global Supply Chains, and the Garment Industry in South Asia". Key questions: - Why are garment wages so low in Bangladesh? - Why aren't wages improving? - What would enable higher wages? Buy the book: https://www.routledge.com/Labor-Global-Supply-Chains-and-the-Garment-Industry-in-South-Asia-Bangladesh/Saxena/p/book/9781138366800 Learn more about Professor Saxena's work, at Berkeley: https://southasia.berkeley.edu/sanchita-saxena

"Evidence for Hope": Professor Kathryn Sikkink Nov 01, 2019

Professor Kathryn Sikkink (at the Harvard Kennedy School) argues that human rights laws, institutions, and movements are both legitimate and effective. We discuss whether human rights are western imperialism; whether rights movements help improve conditions for the masses; and what we still don't know about norm dynamics, but desperately need to find out! You can buy the book here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691170626/evidence-for-hope Professor Sikkink is the Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights Policy, at the Harvard Kennedy School: https://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/people/kathryn-sikkink

"The Narrow Corridor": Professor Daron Acemoglu Oct 30, 2019

Professor Daron Acemoglu discusses his new book, arguing that liberty and prosperity require strong states and strong societies. Alice asks where do strong societies come from? What explains the global heterogeneity in social capital, as well as labour coercion? Can his theory accommodate East Asia? And whether the state-society binary is really the best way to understand threats to liberty today? Professor Acemoglu is incredibly impressive. I do hope you enjoy this episode. Buy the book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/555400/the-narrow-corridor-by-daron-acemoglu-and-james-a-robinson/ Read more about Professor Acemoglu's work: https://economics.mit.edu/faculty/acemoglu

"Capitalism, Alone": Professor Branko Milanovic Oct 24, 2019

Professor Branko Milanovic, world-leading expert on income inequality, discusses his fascinating new book. We discuss: - Was communism necessary for indigenous capitalism? - How can we tackle rising inequality? - How to respond to the xenophobic backlash? & - Isn't climate breakdown exacerbating global inequality. For more details on the book: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674987593 For more about Professor Milanovic: Website: https://stonecenter.gc.cuny.edu/people/milanovic-branko/ Blog: http://glineq.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrankoMilan

"Claiming the State": Dr Gabi Kruks-Wisner Sep 05, 2019

Poor rural Indians come to expect and demand more of the state if they observe other people like them successfully mobilising for better services and public goods. Through quantitative and qualitative research in Rajasthan, Dr Gabi Kruks-Wisner shows feedback loops in observations, expectations, and claims-making. Read more about her work: https://krukswisner.wordpress.com/ Buy the book: https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/comparative-politics/claiming-state-active-citizenship-and-social-welfare-rural-india?format=PB&isbn=9781316649008#xFBr4rHJoOX5Yzxr.97 This chimes with "Fragmented Democracy" by Jamila Michener: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/fragmented-democracy/9A69DF1567190EF38883D4766EBC0AAC And "Forbearance as Redistribution" by Alisha Holland: http://alishaholland.com/book/ And "Making Motherhood Work" by Caitlyn Collins: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/13324.html All these new books demonstrate feedback loops, in people's observations, expectations, and demands of the state.

"Fish or Steel?": Dr Quynh Nguyen & Professor Eddy Malesky Sep 01, 2019

Do people in developing countries prioritise the economy or the environment? To find out, Dr Quynh Nguyen & Dr Eddy Malesky undertook a nationally representative survey in Vietnam, asking people which kinds of firms they preferred. Their results may surprise you. You can read the full paper here: https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/apsa/apsa19/index.php?cmd=Online+Program+View+Paper&selected_paper_id=1513930&PHPSESSID=tqrf3ob26mr1r3i8qa97a0ghe0 Dr Quynh Nguyen is a Lecturer in international political economy at the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University. https://www.quynhnguyen.net/teaching Dr Eddy Malesky is a Professor of Political Science at Duke. https://polisci.duke.edu/people/edmund-malesky

Norms, state capacity, & elections: Dr Ken Opalo & Dr Dan Honig Sep 01, 2019

It's a coup! Ken Opalo and Dan Honig - Assistant Professors of International Development - have seized my podcast! They discuss brilliant new work by Dr George Kwaku Ofosu, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St Louis: "Do Fairer Elections Increase the Responsiveness of Politicians?", forthcoming in the American Political Science Review. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/do-fairer-elections-increase-the-responsiveness-of-politicians/26AA077459ACA822C4E20A9903E64691#.XVbd_1sosiQ.twitter. Read more about his work here: https://www.georgeofosu.com/ And Tugba Bozcaga, PhD candidate at MIT. Read her paper here: https://t.co/ruc5W88M5s?amp=1 And learn more about her work her: https://www.tugbabozcaga.com/

"Bayesian Process-Tracing!": Dr Tasha Fairfield Aug 31, 2019

"You need to mentally inhabit the world of each hypothesis. Then, you need to ask whether new evidence makes the hypothesis more or less likely". In this podcast, Dr Tasha Fairfield (Associate Professor at the LSE) explains how to do Bayesian process-tracing. We consider a cookie heist and state capacity in Peru! If you're keen to learn more, read: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/89261/ http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/69203/ http://www.lse.ac.uk/international-development/people/tasha-fairfield

"Trading Barriers": Dr Maggie Peters Aug 29, 2019

Why have wealthy countries increasingly opened their borders to international trade, but not immigrants? Dr Maggie Peters (Associate Professor at UCLA) suggests that trade openness has enabled firms to offshore production to cheap labour locations. This has reduced their incentive to lobby for low-skilled immigration back home. Without strong business support, the immigration lobby has become weaker. Forms of economic openness are thus interconnected: trade and immigration. This is shown through methodological triangulation. Buy the book here: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/11040.html Learn about Dr Peters' work here: https://polisci.ucla.edu/content/margaret-peters

Do Women Politicians Inspire Others? Dr Sarah Liu Jul 06, 2019

Do women politicians inspire others? Does women's representation in politics lead to higher female political engagement? Well, it depends on the context. In countries where women have thrived in politics and in social status, then yes, it can have a positive impact. But in countries where women's social status lags behind political advancement, then women representatives do not inspire women's political engagement! Fascinating work from Dr Shan-Jan Sarah Liu and Dr Kim Yi Dionne. To learn more about Dr Liu's work click here: http://drsarahliu.com/about-me/

Feminist Protest and Women’s Economic Empowerment Worldwide: Professor Laurel Weldon Jul 06, 2019

Professor Laurel Weldon is a world-leading expert on how women's organising advances gender equality. In this podcast she discusses how she and colleagues have constructed a cross-national qualitative dataset (on the strength and autonomy of women's movements), then explored impacts on women's economic empowerment. To learn more about her research, click here: http://www.laurelweldon.com/

Consciousness Raising: Professor Elisabeth Jay Friedman Jul 06, 2019

What was 'consciousness raising', and how did it contribute to contemporary feminism? Is it still useful? Professor Elisabeth Jay Friedman discusses the power of women coming together, analysing their experiences of oppression, and crafting an alternative vision. To read more about Professor Friedman's work, click here: https://www.usfca.edu/faculty/elisabeth-jay-friedman

"Public & Private Power in Economics": Dr Suresh Naidu Jul 01, 2019

What is monopsony power? How can we measure it? Why does it matter? And how does democracy affect growth? To learn more about public and private power in economics, I talk to Suresh Naidu (Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Columbia). If you want to read the studies, here they are! "Monopsony Power in Migrant Labor Markets" https://t.co/3jH2PtPiH9?amp=1 "Democracy Does Cause Growth" https://t.co/BPNg2iL4t7?amp=1 You can read more about Suresh's work here: https://sipa.columbia.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/suresh-naidu

"The New Empirics of Industrial Policy": Dr Nathan Lane Jun 04, 2019

Does industrial policy work? And how can we know? Talking causal identification and spilling the tea with Dr Nathan Lane, Assistant Professor at the University of Monash. Brace yourselves for our podcast on industrial policy: econometric methods, natural experiments, & the latest empirical advances. Full paper here: nathanlane.info/assets/papers/NathanLane_New_Empirics_of_Industrial_Policy_current.pdf

"Manufacturing Revolutions": Dr Nathan Lane May 27, 2019

Can industrial policy promote structural transformation in developing countries? If so, how? Dr Nathan Lane (Assistant Professor of Economics at Monash) studied the impact of South Korea’s seminal, industrial push: the Heavy Chemical and Industry (HCI) drive of 1973-1979. He investigated how the large, temporary infant industry policy impacted the trajectory of treated industries, as well as sectors connected to them through the industrial network. I do hope you enjoy our discussion! Full paper here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/b9mll7fx26j6uia/ManufacturingRevolutions_Lane_Live.pdf?dl=0

Local Accountability Improves Peace-building: Dr Susanna Campbell May 11, 2019

How can peace-building become more effective? Performance improves if organisations learn from local actors, & strengthen local accountability - finds Dr Susanna Campbell. That's a very crude summary of her fascinating book: www.susannacampbell.com/

"Why Not Default? The Political Economy of Sovereign Debt": Dr Jerome Roos May 08, 2019

Why do countries rarely default on sovereign debts? In this episode, Dr Jerome Roos (LSE) discusses the domestic and international political economy of sovereign debt default. We explore three key enforcement mechanisms, and how they have changed over the past two hundred years. His book is fantastic: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/13318.html Read more about his work here: https://jeromeroos.com/

"Revolution & Reaction": Professor Kurt Weyland Mar 20, 2019

Why did South American countries become more authoritarian in the 1960s and 70s? Professor Kurt Weyland explains macro-level political change by drawing on cognitive psychology! This interview draws on his new book: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/revolution-and-reaction/B03FF36F959ADBB0A5E7B0D80AF4FC5A To learn more about Professor Weyland, click here: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/government/faculty/weylandk

Can Buyers Reward Compliance? Dr. Matt Amengual Mar 12, 2019

Do global buyers reward labour compliance in their supply chains? If not, why not. Join me as I discuss a new paper by Matt Amengual and Greg Distelhorst. Paper here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51cb32a4e4b07cb3e84fc963/t/5c730a91eef1a1a6b0dd09ec/1551043218939/Amengual_Distelhorst_Missing_Middle20190116.pdf Matt Amengual is an Associate Professor at the University of Oxford: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/about-us/people/matthew-amengual

'Legislative Development in Africa': Dr Ken Opalo Feb 27, 2019

Why are some (but not other) African countries democratising? Why have we overlooked legislatures in African politics? How can they be strengthened? What can you do if gatekeepers dismiss your topic? To discuss these questions, I'm joined by Dr Ken Opalo (Assistant Professor at Georgetown University). You can pre-order his book here: https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/african-government-politics-and-policy/legislative-development-africa-politics-and-post-colonial-legacies?format=HB

"Behavioural Development Economics": Dr Gautam Rao Feb 14, 2019

What is behavioural development economics? How does it help us resolve key puzzles, and tackle urgent problems? My guest is Dr Gautam Rao, Assistant Professor in Economics at Harvard We discuss his chapter, which you can read here: https://economics.mit.edu/files/16499 To learn more about his research, click here: https://gautam-rao.com/

"Unruly Waters": Professor Sunil Amrith Feb 14, 2019

Professor Sunil Amrith (at Harvard) shares insights from his fascinating new book: "Unruly Waters". Together we discuss: Is geography destiny? How important has mastery over water been to econ development in Asia? Why have activists been unsuccessful, in pushing for environ regulation? How are Asian govs trying to mitigate climate breakdown? What are their priorities? To learn more about the book, click here: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/sunil-amrith/unruly-waters/9780465097739/ To learn more about Professor Amrith, click here: https://history.fas.harvard.edu/people/sunil-amrith

How Can Aid Agencies Foster "Navigation By Judgment?" - Dr Dan Honig Dec 04, 2018

In "Navigation by Judgment", Dr Dan Honig demonstrates that greater autonomy for front-line staff improves performance in aid agencies. In this podcast, Dan provides practical "how to" guidance for aid agencies looking to encourage and enable local autonomy. He suggests - Learning from front line staff, understanding their constraints; - Recognising that within the formal rules, there is still room for manoeuvre; - Celebrating good practices (of navigation by judgement); - Start talking to bosses, they may actually be really supportive; - Trust your staff. In short, "there's a lot of wiggle room, start wiggling!". We do hope you enjoy this episode. To get in touch, email dhonig@jhu.edu, danhonig.info/

Why is state capacity so uneven? Professor Anthony Pereira Oct 26, 2018

Why is the Brazilian state able to collect taxes & provide services, but fails to enforce law & order, or abate homicides? What explains high state capacity in some domains, and low state capacity in others? And why has state capacity to provide public security worsened over recent decades - notwithstanding democratisation and economic growth? Professor Anthony Pereira draws on his decades of research in Brazil to explain this conundrum. You can read more about his work here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/did/People/Academic-staff/Anthony-Pereira/index.aspx

Does agricultural certification (like Fairtrade) reduce poverty? Dr Carlos Oya Oct 17, 2018

I buy Fairtrade bananas, assuming farmers are getting a better deal. But a new systematic review finds that agricultural certification only results in a marginally higher price for producers, does not improve household incomes, and negatively affects farm workers' wages. Why is this? And how should we respond? You can read the World Development paper here, by CarlosOya, Florian Schaefer, & DafniSkalidou https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305750X18303012 Ungated summary: http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer_public/2017/06/07/srs9-agricuture-certification-scehmes.pdf

Why did Asian authoritarians democratise? Professor Joseph Wong Oct 12, 2018

Professor Joseph Wong argues that Asian authoritarian regimes conceded multi-party elections, in order to thrive, presuming they would win. Curious? I have a few questions. How do we know this? Is it contingent on growth, or wider international pressure for democracy? Why doesn't China concede democracy? And does this theory also explain democratic backsliding? Listen, and read the link below. Share your comments. We'd love to hear from you. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/strength-to-concede-ruling-parties-and-democratization-in-developmental-asia/567D16100F26FB97866BEFA9A63357DE

"Rules without Rights": Professor Tim Bartley Jul 05, 2018

Corporate codes of conduct have become the only game in town. The global economy is governed through private regulation. Companies contract auditors to monitor labour and environmental practices in their supply chains. In his new book, Professor Tim Bartley explores 3 questions: - How did we get here? What's the political economy behind industry self-regulation? - Does it work? Does it improve labour and environmental practices? - Why does it only enable marginal improvements? - What's the alternative? How could we improve upon rules without rights? Together, we discuss these four questions. Check out the book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/rules-without-rights-9780198794332 And learn more about Professor Bartley's research: https://sociology.wustl.edu/people/timothy-bartley

Tackling Tax Evasion: Professor Dina Pomeranz Jul 03, 2018

How can governments tackle tax evasion? To explore this question, Professor Dina Pomeranz examined two Randomized Control Trials in Chile, and a natural experiment in Ecuador. Her research indicates that firms are more likely to pay their taxes when they anticipate government sanctions and enforcement. Information alone is not enough to boost compliance; firms also need to believe that government will penalise evasion. To learn more, read: https://voxdev.org/topic/public-economics/dodging-taxman-evidence-ecuador; https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/publications/role-vat-tax-enforcement.pdf; https://www.econ.uzh.ch/en/people/faculty/pomeranz.html We hope you enjoy our podcast!

Governance & trade unions in Bangladesh: Dr. Jennifer Bair Jun 07, 2018

What is motivating the Government of Bangladesh to recognise, register, & respect trade unions? And change the labour law, so all workers can organise collectively to push for better conditions, rights, and pay? 1) Commercial pressure from global buyers 2) Threats of trade sanctions from the EU 3) Voters (domestic political pressures) 4) None of the above. Dr. Jennifer Bair (Associate Professor, University of Virginia) explains why labour repression remains pervasive in Bangladesh. Notwithstanding the horrors of Rana Plaza, there is little incentive for the Government to tolerate trade unions. Instead they ban trade unions in export processing zones. This is part of their economic strategy, to keep costs low, and remain globally competitive. So what might encourage change? Stronger commercial pressure for reform, suggests Dr. Bair. Interested? You can learn more about Dr. Bair's work here: https://sociology.virginia.edu/content/jennifer-bair Research discussed in the podcast: Jennifer Bair, "Labor Administration and Inspection in Post-Rana Plaza Bangladesh" in International Labor Rights Case Law https://brill.com/view/journals/ilrc/3/3/article-p457_457.xml Jennifer Bair and others, "Forcing change from the outside? The role of trade-labour linkages in transforming Vietnam's labour regime" in Competition & Change https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1024529417729326 Mark Anner, "Squeezing workers’ rights in global supply chains: purchasing practices in the Bangladesh garment export sector in comparative perspective" in Review of International Political Economy: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09692290.2019.1625426?journalCode=rrip20#.XRUS7W6rCKs.twitter Ungated working paper: https://ler.la.psu.edu/gwr/documents/CGWR2017ResearchReportBindingPower.pdf John S. Ahlquist and Layna Mosley, "Firm Participation in Voluntary Regulatory Initiatives: the Accord, Alliance, and US garment importers from Bangladesh" http://laynamosley.web.unc.edu/files/2018/04/Ahlquist-Mosley-2018.pdf Alice Evans (me!), "Export Incentives & Domestic Activists" https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331864175_Export_Incentives_Domestic_Activists

"Navigation by Judgment": Dr. Dan Honig May 09, 2018

Which improves aid effectiveness: setting targets and monitoring delivery, or enhancing autonomy for frontline workers? Dr. Dan Honig explores this question using a database of 14,000 development projects and eight qualitative studies. We discuss his methods, findings, and implications. I do hope you enjoy it. Check out the book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/navigation-by-judgment-9780190672454?cc=gb&lang=en&

How can we prevent another Rana Plaza? Professor Juliane Reinecke Apr 28, 2018

Over a thousand people died at the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh. That was five years ago, this April. To learn what caused it, what's happened since, and how we can prevent another such tragedy I'm joined by Professor Juliane Reinecke, of King's Business School. Keen to learn more? You can read Juliane Reinecke's paper here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/bjir.12242

"How To Rig An Election": Professor Nic Cheeseman Apr 26, 2018

Authoritarian leaders who hold elections actually stay in power longer than those who don't. Democracy thus facilitates dictatorships, in a sense. Why is this? How do they get away with it? And what could prevent these counterfeit democracies? In this podcast, Professor Nic Cheeseman discusses his brilliant new book (co-authored with Dr. Brian Klaas). Curious? Check out the book: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300204438/how-rig-election

Does Violence Increase Risk Aversion? Drs. Pamela Jakiela & Owen Ozier Mar 27, 2018

Does violence increase risk aversion? Drs. Pamela Jakiela and Owen Ozier did a natural experiment by mistake. Their survey was interrupted by the Kenyan post-electoral violence: a thousand dead; thousands internally displaced. Participants had an equal chance of being interviewed before or after survey. So this enabled Pam and Owen to explore the impact of conflict on people's preferences. What did they find? Did conflict increase or decrease risk aversion? Do their survey results reflect real-world behavioural change? Does risk-aversion matter for development? Why do we need to know about people's preferences for risk aversion? Curious? Click here to read the paper and learn more: http://www.pamjakiela.com/JakielaOzier-riskpreferences-2017-08-29.pdf You can read more of Pam's work here: http://www.pamjakiela.com/ And Owen's here: http://economics.ozier.com/owen/ Thank you for listening!

The World Development Report 2018 on Education: Dr. David Evans Mar 21, 2018

How can we ensure everyone gets a decent education? Dr. David Evans (World Bank Lead Economist) discusses the World Development Report 2018. Key points: - Focus on learning (not school enrolement); - Build inclusive coalitions; - Galvanise support for reform by highlighting faster improvements in neighbouring places; - Iteratively adapt to identify what works in context. Intrigued? Read the full report: http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2018

Using RCTs to improve health care: Dr. David Evans Mar 21, 2018

How can we improve health care management? Provide more training, or more supportive supervision? To ascertain what works, Dr. David Evans (Lead Economist at the World Bank), colleagues, and the Nigerian Ministry of Health ran a Randomised Control Trial. What did they find? Why are RCTs useful? What are their limits? And what other methodologies might we use to improve health care? Spoiler: training alone is insufficient. Supportive supervision is key to improving health care management. Curious? Check out the paper – co-authored with Felipe A. Dunsch, Felipe, Ezinne Eze-Ajoku, and Mario Macis: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/170951/1/dp10967.pdf

How do we know what works? Professor Michael Woolcock Mar 17, 2018

How can we assess the impact and scalability of complex interventions? Why use mixed methods? How can we tackle hubris among economists at the World Bank? The wonderful Professor Michael Woolcock (Lead Social Scientist at the World Bank) makes the case for mixed methods. This discussion draws on his chapter, forthcoming in Michiru Nagatsu and Attilia Ruzzene (eds.) (forthcoming) "Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Social Science: A Dialogue". (London: Bloomsbury Academic) You can read more about his work here: http://www.worldbank.org/en/about/people/m/michael-woolcock

"Institutions And Democracy In Africa": Professor Nic Cheeseman Feb 26, 2018

Although widely overlooked, formal rules have significantly impacted democratisation in African politics. So, to understand democratisation, we need to focus less on personal relationships (like neopatrimonialism) and more on term limits, constitutions, electoral commissions, economic regulations and systems of land tenure. When leaders uphold formal rules, this sets expectations, generating a positive feedback loop. For example, when a president stands down at the end of their term, subsequent presidents are more likely to do so. In this podcast, Professor Nic Cheeseman discusses his fascinating new book, on how the rules of the game shape political developments. Check out the book: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/institutions-and-democracy-in-africa/73ED89DF634FAFAA2D070F0ED4EE780F

"The Struggle for Development": Professor Ben Selwyn Feb 20, 2018

Poverty is falling. It's falling due to global economic integration, and growth - or so claims the international development consensus. But is this correct? And is this the best approach to meaningful poverty reduction? What's the alternative? Could labour-led development accelerate poverty reduction? Join us to discuss Professor Selwyn's new book, "The Struggle for Development". https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/The+Struggle+for+Development-p-9781509512782

Tackling Son Preference in India: Dr. Sanchari Roy Feb 14, 2018

What might reduce son preference in India? Could equal inheritance rights help? Actually no. Despite legislative change, parents continue to favour sons, and protect their inheritance rights by killing or neglecting second-born daughters. Given low levels of female employment, parents still see sons as providers, and still see them as continuing the family lineage. Dr. Sanchari Roy argues that to overcome inequalities we need much wider coordination: tackling opportunity costs; increasing exposure to women in employment; and enforcing gender quotas. Or perhaps change will come from the patriarchy itself - as husbands fight for their wives' inheritance rights? Curious? Read the full paper: http://ftp.iza.org/dp11239.pdf And visit Sanchari's webpage: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/did/People/Academic-staff/Sanchari-Roy/Bio.aspx

Gender Revolution & Millennials: Professor Barbara Risman Feb 11, 2018

Join us to discuss Professor Risman's fascinating new book: - Are millennials more liberal? - How are they challenging gender inequalities? - Why do we need to organise collectively? - What would enable more shared care work? - Should we aspire for equality, or the destruction of gender categories? Curious? Here's the book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/where-the-millennials-will-take-us-9780199324385?cc=gb&lang=en&

"Aid Lab: Understanding Bangladesh's Unexpected Success": Dr Naomi Hossain Jan 16, 2018

How has Bangladesh rapidly reduced poverty? Is it due to microfinance, NGOs, growth, or an elite consensus? The brilliant Dr. Hossain explains the history and politics behind Bangladesh's unexpected success. Read more here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-aid-lab-9780198785507?cc=gb&lang=en&

"Geopolitics in Health": Dr. Ed Gomez Dec 14, 2017

Why do governments prioritise & invest in health care? Is social activism key? Not in the BRICS. These governments primarily improved health care to buttress their *international reputations* - argues Dr. Ed Gomez, Senior Lecturer at King's College London. Curious? Check out Ed's fascinating new book: https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/content/geopolitics-health

"Ethnicity, national identity and the state": Dr. Elliott Green Dec 14, 2017

From the USA to Uganda, strong ethnic identities can fuel hostilities; deter contributions to public goods; thwart class-based solidarity; curb economic growth; fuel secessionist movements; and ferment civil war. So, how do people come to identify with the nation, rather than their ethnicity? Can power-sharing at national level change people's identities? If so, what might lead to more inclusive politics? Why might elites come to share power with different ethnicities? Dr. Elliott Green (Associate Professor at the LSE) discusses these questions. He draws on quantitative and qualitative analysis, from his British Journal of Political Science paper: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/84315/1/Ethnicity%2C%20national%20identity%20and%20the%20state_Final.pdf (ungated)

Brexit and British Politics: Professor Anand Menon Dec 05, 2017

Why did people vote for Brexit? Why didn't attitudes towards the EU change much over the campaign? How can academics engage more effectively? How can we rebuild a fairer, more inclusive Britain? Professor Anand Menon discusses findings from his fascinating new book, co-authored with Geoffrey Evans. You can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brexit-British-Politics-Geoffrey-Evans-ebook/dp/B077CLZD88/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512504173&sr=8-3&keywords=brexit+and+british+politics Read the latest analysis from UK in a Changing Europe: http://ukandeu.ac.uk/

Does Microfinance Work? Dr. Rachael Meager Nov 14, 2017

Does microfinance work? How can we investigate its impact? What about pooling Randomised Control Trials? Dr. Rachael Meager (Assistant Professor at the LSE) presents an innovative research methodology: "Aggregating Distributional Treatment Effects: A Bayesian Hierarchical Analysis of the Microcredit Literature". You can read the full paper here: https://economics.mit.edu/files/12292

"Building State Capability": Dr. Matt Andrews Sep 13, 2017

How to improve state capability - such that low- and middle-income country governments can effectively tackle local problems? Instead of 'best practice' recommendations or cocooned donor projects, Dr. Matt Andrews emphasises 'Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation' (PDIA). Governments explore challenges, identify their causes, incrementally address obstacles, and build their capabilities through doing. But can such incremental adaptations enable inclusive growth? And how can researchers/ donors support this process? Listen to our discussion! You can register for their free online course here: www.buildingstatecapability.com/ Read the open access book: bsc.cid.harvard.edu/building-state-…analysis-action

"How China Escaped the Poverty Trap": Dr. Yuen Yuen Ang Sep 09, 2017

How did China escape the poverty trap? And what can other emerging economies learn from China's success of 'directed improvisation'? Dr. Ang discusses findings from her fascinating new book: http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100715940

'Politicising Inequality, The Power of Ideas': Dr Evans Jun 29, 2017

Is inequality inevitable? Why has inequality fallen in Latin America? Is this due to democratisation? How should we study inequality?

'Where Are The Unions?': Dr Sian Lazar Jun 10, 2017

Given globalisation and precarity, are unions dead? What can they achieve? What enables unions to be more effective? How can they be better supported? Dr. Sian Lazar discusses her fascinating book on unions in Latin America, the Middle East and Europe: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Are-Unions-Workers-Movements-ebook/dp/B06XF4LZ65/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489824067&sr=8-1&keywords=Where+Are+The+Unions%3F+Workers+and+Social+Movements+in+Latin+America%2C+the+Middle+East+and+Europe

'Neoliberal Affects': Professor Ben Anderson Mar 01, 2017

What are 'affects' and emotional 'atmospheres'? Why are Geographers so enraptured by them? How do they help us understand neoliberalism? Might affects and emotions be mobilised to erode neoliberalism? This interview relates to Professor Anderson's paper in Progress in Human Geography. You can read it here: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0309132515613167 Read more about him here: https://www.dur.ac.uk/geography/staff/geogstaffhidden/?id=985 And follow him on Twitter: @BenAndersonGeog [illustrative painting by Paolo Troilo https://www.troilo54.com/]

'Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero': Professor Jason Dittmer Feb 27, 2017

Are there parallels between support for Trump and desire for a superhero? Professor Jason Dittmer thinks so... I'm sceptical, however. Floating above the River Cam, sharing a bakewell tart, atop a wooden punt, we discuss masculinity, geopolitics, and faith in individual agency. He's the coolest professor I know, so I do hope you enjoy listening as much as we did recording. Buy his book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Captain-America-Nationalist-Superhero-Geopolitics-ebook/dp/B00AATCSD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487708791&sr=8-1&keywords=jason+dittmer+captain+america Follow Professor Dittmer on Twitter @realjdittmer

'The ICC's African Dilemmas': Dr. Adam Branch Feb 27, 2017

Four Questions for Dr Adam Branch (expert in African politics and the International Criminal Court, ICC): 1. Does the ICC do any good? 2. Why has the AU announced its intention to withdraw from the ICC? 3. What's the alternative? 4. Would African leaders submit to a regional instrument? [Illustrative cartoon by Gado, http://gadocartoons.com/ @iGaddo] You can read Adam's article here: https://academic.oup.com/ijtj/article/doi/10.1093/ijtj/ijw027/2919404/Dominic-Ongwen-on-Trial-The-ICC-s-African-Dilemmas Check out his fantastic book, co-authored with Zachary Mamphilly: "Africa Uprising" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Africa-Uprising-Popular-Political-Arguments-ebook/dp/B00UAXRVS6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488207770&sr=8-1&keywords=africa+uprising+adam+branch

'Understanding Zimbabwe': Dr. Sara Dorman Feb 20, 2017

Four Questions for Dr. Sara Dorman: Mugabe's ZANU-PF lost the 2008 election. So why does he still retain power? Why have opposition politics and civil society been unable to push back? What - if anything - can outsiders do to support 'good governance'? What does Zimbabwe's experience of power-sharing tell us about supporting 'good governance' more broadly?

'Citizens in the middle class': Dr Charlotte Lemanski Jan 20, 2017

What's driving the housing crisis for South African middle income households? Why aren't these middling households mobilising for housing reform? Yet we do see collective action in the case of 'fees must fall', for higher education. What explains this discrepancy? Charlotte, why do you think 'middle class' isn't appropriate to the South African context? Paper here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001671851530083X Photo credits: Jonny Miller, http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/06/apartheids-urban-legacy-in-striking-aerial-photographs-south-africa-cities-architecture-racism/487808/

'The Killing Consensus': Dr Graham Denyer Willis Jan 19, 2017

Why did the homicide rate fall in Sao Paulo? How and why has organised crime reduced homicides? Why has this happened in Brazil, but not the USA? And more... http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520285712

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