Alexandra Hartman is Associate Professor in Political Science and Public Policy here at UCL, and her research focuses on the political economy of institutions in fragile states. She looks not just at formal political institutions such as courts or legislatures, but also at what we political scientists like to call informal institutions – the unwritten structures of norms and established practices that people follow in their interactions with each other. Such informal institutions can be crucial in shaping how society operates. And Alex examines whether policymakers can intervene to nudge them in directions that might lead to better outcomes.
In particular, her new study – recently published in the Journal of Politics and co-authored with Robert Blair from Brown University and Christopher Blattman from the University of Chicago – looks at ways of resolving land disputes in Liberia. It’s fair to say that the results are mixed. And they help us think both about the kinds of policy mechanisms that might be effective—both in Liberia and elsewhere—and about how we can measure that effectiveness so that we can seek to identify the best policies for the future.
Article: Engineering Informal Institutions: Long-Run Impacts of Alternative Dispute Resolution on Violence and Property Rights in Liberia
Host: Dr Alan Renwick
Dr Alexandra Hartman
UCL’s Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of all fields of politics, including international relations, political theory, human rights, public policy-making and administration. The Department is recognised for its world-class research and policy impact, ranking among the top departments in the UK on both the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the latest Guardian rankings.
The Domestic Politics of IMF Lending
The Politics of Migration
Fiscal Transparency And The Public Purse
Backyard Housing And The Dynamics Of Collective Action
Taking Offence
The State of US Politics
Resisting Colonialism
Honouring the Career of Professor Albert Weale
The Impact of Banning Protests
How Can We Fix Our Democracy?
Political Constitutionalism and Referendums: The Case of Brexit
Democracies and LGBTQ Rights
Military Technology and Intelligent Warfare
What Can Democracies Learn From Dictatorships?
The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit
Brexit and Northern Ireland
Do Higher Benefits Encourage Immigration?
The Politics of Ordinary Hope
The Politics of the European Court of Human Rights
The Politics of the European Court of Justice
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