Associate Professor, Hobby School of Public Affairs

Expertise: Political Economy of Development, Political Polarization, Government Accountability, Gender, Clientelism, State Capacity and Taxation in New Democracies (geographic concentration in sub-Saharan Africa)

Career Highlights:

Jessica Gottlieb earned her Ph.D. in political science and master’s degree in economics from Stanford University. Her research focuses on the political economy of development and, in particular, constraints to government accountability and state capacity in new democracies.

Much of her work has been in sub-Saharan Africa, where she has conducted field experiments, behavioral games and surveys. Some newer work is on political polarization in the US.

Gottlieb’s work is published in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, World Politics, Science Advances and World Development among others. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked at the Center for Global Development on a project encouraging donors, country governments, and multilateral organizations to better learn what works in development through improved impact evaluation.

A board member of Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) and data coordinator for the Democratic Erosion cross-university consortium, Gottlieb has taught courses on the political economy of development in Africa, field research methods and political and economic institutions and has taken students to Senegal and Benin. She has also led capstone projects with clients such as the US State Department and USAID.