Staff Profile

I am a political economist working on economic development and political economy in sub-Saharan Africa.

My research lies at the intersection of development economics, political economy, and comparative politics. I study the politics of development with a focus on fragile state settings, informal institutions, and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the Great Lakes region, and Latin America. Using a range of methods, from field and natural experiments to qualitative interviews, my research aims to address the overarching question of what characterizes governance in fragile states and how it might be improved.

Before joining NUBS I was a postdoctoral fellow at Innovations for Poverty Action and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. I obtained my Ph.D. in Political Economy & Government from Harvard University in 2019. Before graduate school I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics with a secondary field in Economics from the University of Essex and attended high school in Rwanda and Canada. I also worked in Malawi for the German Development Bank, KfW.

Research Interests:

• Political Economy
  
• Development Economics
• Comparative Politics
• Economic History of Africa or Ireland
  
• Africa
  

Undergraduate Teaching

Economics of Development (ECO3033) - I teach the first semester of this annual module.

• Articles

  • Henn SJ, Huff C. The Local Memory of Repression and Who Fights. World Politics 2024, 76(2), 219-258.
  • Henn SJ, Mastaki Mugaruka C, Ortiz M, Sánchez de la Sierra R, Wu DQ. Monopoly of Taxation Without a Monopoly of Violence: The Weak State's Trade-Offs From Taxation. Review of Economic Studies 2023. In Press.
  • Henn SJ, Robinson JA. Africa’s Latent Assets. Journal of African Economies 2023, 32(1), i9–i32.
  • Henn SJ. Complements or Substitutes? How Institutional Arrangements Bind Traditional Authorities and the State in Africa. American Political Science Review 2023, 117(3), 871-890.