Research Roadmap: Fieldwork in Fragile States
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Professor Michael Callen shared his experience conducting fieldwork in fragile states, during moments of extreme political uncertainty, and working with vulnerable populations. He also described more recent work that uses a new framework and AI to assess institutional uncertainty globally and throughout history. Drawing on these experiences, Professor Callen offered insights and practical recommendations for students on how to approach field research in complex and unpredictable settings.
Michael Callen, Associate Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics
Michael Callen is the Noosheen Hashemi Visiting Fellow at the Stanford King Center on Global Development and an Associate Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics. His research focuses on development economics, political economy, and behavioral economics. He serves as co-director of the State Capabilities Program and the lead academic for the Fragile States Initiative at the International Growth Centre. Additionally, he is the Scientific Director for Inclusion Economics – Nepal, a research associate at the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), and a board member at the Association for Comparative Economic Studies (ACES). Callen also currently serves on the editorial boards of the Review of Economic Studies and the Journal of the European Economic Association and is a co-editor at VoxDev. His research affiliations include the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), and Empirical Studies of Conflict (ESOC).
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