Faisal Ahmed
Associate Professor of Political Science
B.A., M.A., Northwestern University Ph.D., University of Chicago Research focuses on political economy, international economics and politics.
I study and teach political economy with a substantive focus in international economics and politics. My work is interdisciplinary and has been published in various journals, such as the American Political Science Review, American Economic Journal – Macroeconomics, Explorations in Economic History, Review of Economics and Statistics, Quarterly Journal of Political Science, and Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization.
My research largely probes the strategic interactions of political actors and the international economy. Some of this research features in two books, The Perils of International Capital (Cambridge University Press, 2020) and Conquests and Rents: A Political Economy of Dictatorship and Violence in Muslim Societies (Cambridge University Press, 2023). Other strands of my work explore topics in development, political violence, international economic law, and the political economy of migration. I am currently working on projects related to political connections and globalization, geopolitics and political violence, and the political economy of bureaucrats.
I earned a BA in mathematics and BA/MA in economics from Northwestern University and later completed my doctoral studies at the University of Chicago. Before transitioning to academia, I spent a few years as an international and macroeconomist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Education
- B.A., Northwestern University
- M.A., Northwestern University
- Ph.D., University of Chicago
Current and upcoming courses
International Political Economy
POL3251
This course examines how politics affects the international economy and vice-versa. The course will apply theories and tools of political economy to explore some of the following questions: who wins and loses from international trade and finance? How does globalization affect domestic politics (e.g., elections, regulations, inequality, the environment) in developed and developing countries? Who sets the “rules” under which the global economy operates? How influential are international organizations like the WTO and the IMF? These issues are explored with reference to economic and political theories, history, and contemporary events.
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Political Economy of Foreign Aid
POL3294
This course examines who gives and receives foreign aid, and whether it works? Using theories and methodologies from political science, economics, and statistics, the course will probe how international and domestic interests influence how foreign aid is disbursed and its consequences. By focusing on foreign aid, the course will examine core topics in political economy, such as how gender shapes political institutions, how leaders remain in power, and the relationships between race and foreign interventions, how voters assess their political leaders, bargaining among political actors. Throughout the semester, we will also use the case of foreign aid to learn how social scientists study causal relationships. Students will learn techniques involved in “causally-identified” research designs; an approach at the core of the “credibility revolution” in the social sciences and public policy evaluations. Students will have opportunities to apply these techniques by critiquing contemporary research in political science and economics and writing their own research paper. (ECON 294 and POL3 294 are cross-listed courses.) -
This seminar examines how politics affects the international economy, and vice versa. It will focus primarily on the political economy of international finance and development, across nations, issues, and time. We will explore some of the following questions: Why do financial crises occur? How does a nation’s currency affect its domestic and international politics? Are countries “punished” for defaulting on their debt? Is foreign aid “effective”? How does financial globalization affect domestic politics and vice-versa? The aim of the course is to equip students with the tools to better understand the relationship between financial globalization and politics.