B: Globalization and Socio-Economic Development
Lauren M. MacLean is the Arthur F. Bentley Chair and Professor of Political Science at Indiana University – Bloomington. Her research focuses on the comparative political economy of development, investigating the politics of state-building and the everyday exercise of democratic citizenship in post-colonial contexts in Africa and the U.S. Currently, she is examining the politics of climate change, energy poverty, and citizen perceptions of accountability when governments fail to provide reliable electricity in Ghana. She is interested in rapid urbanization, rising inequality, and the role of non-state institutions in democratic governance. Her work draws on history, anthropology, geography, and development economics and combines methodologies through immersive fieldwork to understand how citizens experience and participate in politics.