Dr Adam Harris

Associate Professor in Development Politics
Room: 1.04, 36-38 Gordon Square
Tel: 020 7612 6927 (ext. 06927)
Email: adam.s.harris@ucl.ac.uk
Twitter

Biography

I am an Associate Professor in Development Politics. Prior to joining UCL, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Governance and Local Development (GLD) programme at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden (2015-2017), and I am currently a member of the GLD Steering Committee. I received my PhD in Political Science from the Wilf Family Department of Politics at New York University (2015). I study ethnic, race, development, and African politics, with a focus on political participation using experimental and survey methods.

Research

My research seeks to challenge the dominant narratives around ethnic voting by investigating how those of mixed ethnic heritage vote, and why some members of a group do not toe the group line, and challenge the assumptions that underline our theories of ethnic voting. I also investigate aid effectiveness and the resource curse. I have conducted research on South Africa, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Ghana, and Kenya, as well as cross-national analysis. My work has been published in The Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, World Development, International Organization, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Development Policy Review, and Politikon.

Publications

Books

• Harris, A. S. (2022) Everyday Identity and Electoral Politics: Race, Ethnicity, and the Bloc Vote in South Africa and Beyond. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Journal articles

2022

• Harris, A. S. and Honig, L. (2022) ‘Mutual Dependence and Expectations of Cooperation’, Journal of Politics, 85(1).
• Harris, A. S., Meyer-Sahling, J-H., Sass Mikkelsen, K., Schuster, C., Seim, B. and Sigman, R. (2022) ‘Varieties of Connections, Varieties of Corruption: Evidence from Bureaucrats in Five Countries’, Governance, (early view).
• Harris, A. S., Meyer-Sahling, J-H., Sass Mikkelsen, K. and Schuster, C. (2022) ‘Activating the “Big Man”: Social Status, Patronage Networks, and Pro-Social Behavior in African Bureaucracies’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 33(1), pp. 94–105.
• Sigman, R., Harris, A. S., Meyer-Shaling, J-H., Sass Mikkelsen, K. and Schuster, C. (2022) ‘Do Bureaucrats Contribute to the Resource Curse? Evidence from a Survey Experiment in New Oil States’, The Journal of Development Studies, 58(4), pp. 639-655.

2021

• Dulani, B., Harris, A. S., Lust, E., Ferree, K., Kao, K., Jansson, C. A. and Metheney, E. A. (2021) ‘Elections in the Time of Covid-19: The Triple Crises around Malawi’s 2020 Presidential Elections’, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 31(1), pp. 56–68.
• Ferree, K. E., Harris, A. S., Dulani, B., Kao, K., Lust, E. and Metheney, E. (2021) ‘Stigma, Trust, and Procedural Integrity: Covid-19 testing in Malawi’, World Dev.

2020

• Kao, K., Lust, E., Dulani, B., Ferree, K. E., Harris, A. S. and Metheney E. (2020) ‘The ABCs of Covid-19 Prevention in Malawi: Authority, Benefits, and Costs of Compliance’, World Dev.
• Harris, A. S. (2020) ‘Toward Performance-based Politics: Swing Voters in South Africa’s 2016 Local Elections’, South African Journal of Political Studies, 47(2), pp. 196–214.
• Dulani, B., Harris, A. S., Horowitz, J. and Kayuni, H. (2020) ‘Electoral Preferences Among Multiethnic Voters in Africa’, Comparative Political Studies, 54(2).
• Harris, A. S., Sigman, R., Meyer-Sahling, J-H., Schuster, C. and Sass Mikkelson, K. (2020) ‘Oiling the Bureaucracy? Political Spending, Bureaucrats and the Resource Curse’, World Development, 127.
• Harris, A. S. (2020) ‘At the Borders of Identity: Identity Construction and Racial Bloc Voting’, Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, 5(2), pp. 326-355.

2019

• Harris, A. S., Seim, B. and Sigman, R. (2019) ‘Information, Accountability and Perceptions of Public Sector Programme Success: A Conjoint Experiment among Bureaucrats in Africa’, Developmental Policy Review, 38(5), pp. 594–612.
• Harris, A. S. and Hern, E. (2019) ‘Taking to the Streets: Protest as an Expression of Political Preference in Africa’, Comparative Political Studies, 52(8), pp. 1169–1199.

2017

• Findley, M. G., Harris, A. S., Milner, H. V. and Nielson, D. L. (2017) ‘Who Controls Foreign Aid? Elite versus Public Perceptions of Donor Influence in Aid-Dependent Uganda’, International Organization, 71(4), pp. 633–663.

Teaching

I teach International Development and Public Policy, Political Economy of Development, and Identity Politics. I have supervised students on projects focused on political behaviour, African politics, ethnic and racial politics, aid effectiveness, Chinese aid and involvement in Africa, and local governance and development.