Ken Opalo

Ken Opalo is an assistant professor at Georgetown University in the School of Foreign Service and a nonresident fellow in Security and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings. His research interests include the political economy of development in Africa, elections and democracy consolidation, and sub-national governance in Kenya. Ken has a book manuscript in press with Cambridge University Press titled “Legislative Development in Africa: Politics and Post-Colonial Legacies” (forthcoming, 2019).

He has multiple ongoing research projects. His three biggest projects are on (i) the politics of education reform in Tanzania—the project examines the political incentives underpinning the expansion of secondary education in Tanzania; (ii) political accountability under devolved government in Kenya this projects explores mechanisms of strengthening local democracy, accountability, and effective governance in Kenya; and (iii) the politics of electricity provision in Africa—this project explores the political incentives for public goods provision in Africa, with a focus on electricity connectivity.

Beyond these three, Ken is also developing future research agendas exploring the politics and economics of regional integration in Africa—with a focus on both the African Union and regional economic communities in the region; and on the political economy consequences of China’s infrastructure investments in Africa.

A native of Kenya, Ken has worked, researched, or traveled in over 12 African countries. He has consulted for the World Bank Group (on the political economy of infrastructure development and management of natural resources) and the Kofi Annan Foundation (on elections and governance across the globe). At Georgetown University, Ken is affiliated with the African Studies Program and the Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation and Development Evaluation (gui2de). He is also a member of the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) research group. Ken earned his bachelor's from Yale and doctorate from Stanford.

Affiliations:

• African Studies Program, Georgetown University
• Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation and Development Evaluation
• Evidence in Governance and Politics

Education

• B.A., Political Science, Yale University, 2009
• Ph.D., Political Science, Stanfo