International meeting of the Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE)

WGAPE is an international forum for academic researchers who combine deep field research experience in Africa with training in political economy methods.

Founded in 2002, the Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE – pronounced “wah-gah-pay”) brings together faculty and advanced graduate students in Political Science and Economics who combine deep field research experience in Africa with training in political economy methods. The group meets semi-annually to discuss the work-in-progress of its regular members and invited guests. WGAPE’s first national meetings were funded by the National Science Foundation, and have since been supported by host institutions. It is co-led by Brian Dillon (Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington), Daniel Posner (Department of Political Science, UCLA) and Edward Miguel (Department of Economics, UC Berkeley). WGAPE is committed to incorporating African scholars into the network in order to create and build collaborative relationships.

Meetings are built around in-depth discussions of seven or eight papers and research designs (see the archive of papers discussed at past WGAPE meetings). The emphasis is on discussion rather than presentation, and members are encouraged to present work in progress on which they would like feedback from the group. Recent meetings have focused on research in the design stage, as the meetings provide a unique opportunity to include valuable feedback that ultimately leads to more relevant and impactful research.

Papers presented at WGAPE meetings have been published in many of the leading journals in Political Science and Economics, including the Journal of Political Economy, the American Political Science Review, the Journal of African Economies, World Politics, African Affairs, the Journal of Economic Perspectives, the Review of Economic Studies, and the Review of African Political Economy, as well as in several edited volumes.

With generous support from William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, we are pleased to announce that WGAPE will host six African scholars at each annual (spring) meeting from 2017-2020.