dictatorships

This dissertation investigates the question why some dictators allow opposition parties to compete and win in local elections. The question is intriguing because competitive local elections are risky for dictatorships. They provide an opportunity for the opposition to establish …

Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa at the juncture of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean experienced social cleavage and civil war since 1990. In 1994 sporadic warfare continues and the nation does not yet have a viable government. This dissertation argues that Somalia's misfortun…

This dissertation is an environmental history of Brazil’s large dams, the country’s principal source of electricity. Hydropower undergirded economic growth, but reservoirs left huge social and environmental footprints. The country’s biggest and most infamous dams were those buil…