Leonard Wantchekon

J-PAL Affiliated Professor

Professor of Politics and International Affairs

Princeton University

Leonard Wantchekon is Professor of Politics and International Affairs, and as well an Associated Faculty in the Economics Department at Princeton University. His research is broadly focused on Political Economy and development economics particularly in Africa, and his specific interests include experimental studies on democracy and governance, resource curse, and long-term social impact of historical events. He is the author of numerous publications in leading academic journals, including “The Slave Trade and the Origins of Mistrust in Africa” (with Nathan Nunn), in the American Economic Review; “The Paradox of “Warlord” Democracy: A Theoretical Investigation,” in the American Political Science Review (2004); Clientelism and Voting Behavior: A Field Experiment in Benin, World Politics (2003) as well as “Electoral Competition under the Threat of Political Unrest” (with Matthew Ellman) in the Quarterly Journal of Economics (2000).

Leonard earned his PhD from Northwestern University.