Call for applications: 4th ACES Political Economy Summer School

The Association for Comparative Economic Studies (ACES) is pleased to present the 4th annual ACES Political Economy Summer School in August 2025. This 3-day summer school will expose participants to cutting-edge research in political economy, economic history, and development economics, and offer students a unique opportunity to interact with mentors. Participants will receive feedback on their research ideas in focused mentoring sessions both from faculty and from other students. The school also provides an opportunity to develop networks with other young scholars interested in political economy and related subfields of economics.

The ACES is grateful for the support of the African School of Economics in Zanzibar and the International Growth Center (IGC), which has helped to make this year’s School in Africa possible.

August 20-21: Lectures and Student Mentoring

August 20

Morning Sessions by invited faculty: 

8:50 am Noam Yuchtman -- Welcoming remarks

9:00 - 10:15 Sara Lowes

10:30 - 11:45 Ceren Baysan 

12:00 - 1:15 Awa Ambra Seck

Afternoon Sessions (2:30 - ): Small-group sessions led by assigned faculty mentors

August 21

Morning Sessions by invited faculty: 

9:00 - 10:15 Leonard Wantchekon

10:30 - 11:45 Michael Callen 

12:00 - 1:15 Noam Yuchtman

Afternoon Sessions  (2:30 -): Small-group sessions led by assigned faculty mentors

August 22: Conference on Political Economy and Development

Presentations by a diverse array of scholars and dignitaries.

9am -- Leonard Wantchekon (Princeton), Minister of Education, and Minister of Tourism -- Opening Remarks

9:45 am -- Raul Sanchez de la Sierra (Chicago)

10:40am -- BREAK

10:55 am -- Lukas Leucht (Queen's College, University of Oxford), "Jobs for Votes: Patronage and Performance in Tammany Hall's NYPD"

11:50 am -- Belinda Archibong (John Hopkins), "Interrogating Inequality"

12:45 pm Leonard Wantchekon (Princeton) -- ASE and its Research Hub (PASER Hub)

1:15 pm -- LUNCH

2:15 pm -- Miguel Fajardo-Steinhauser (London School of Economics), "Soft Power Through (Humanitarian) Aid: Evidence from an RCT in Pakistan"

3:10 pm -- Ameet Morjaria (MIT Sloan), "Product Conflation & Deconflation: An Anatomy of a Marketplace Reform"

4:05 pm -- BREAK

4:20 pm -- Leonard Wantchekon (Princeton), "Externalities of Colonial Schools"

5:15 pm - Conclusion of conference

Application Information

ACES is inviting applications from PhD students interested in political economy, economic history, and development economics. Junior faculty from African universities are also welcome to apply. The Association aims to have a 20-student cohort, and encourages those from developing countries to apply.  ACES is pleased to pay for meals and accommodation for applicants selected to participate. Financial support will be available to assist students from developing countries with their travel expenses.

To apply, please submit a two-page research outline on a specific topic and a CV to Brian Deutsch, Coordinator of Membership Services, at briandeutsch@pitt.edu.  The deadline is May 9, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST; applications received after the deadline will not be considered.  Those accepted will be responsible for arranging their own visas, if needed, so please be mindful of this when applying.

You may also find a pdf of this Call for Applications here.