Beth Rabinowitz

Dr. Rabinowitz’s research interests include state development, ethnic conflict, nationalism and populism, political leadership, and coup politics. Her approach to research is shaped by her experiences backpacking through Africa in the early 1990s, specifically Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), where she witnessed some of the effects of a failed State. Her book, Coups, Rivals and the Modern State: Why Rural Coalitions Matter in sub-Saharan Africa, Cambridge University Press, 2018 is an examination of why some neopatrimonial leaders promote development and increase state capacity, while others do not.