Anjali Thomas
Associate Professor
- Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
- Development Studies Program
Overview
Anjali Thomas is an Associate Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and Director of the Nunn School Program in Global Development. She is also a 2024 (Non-Resident) Fellow at the Gothenburg Governance and Local Development Institute. Professor Thomas specializes in comparative politics and political economy with an emphasis on India. The substantive questions that drive her research have to do with the politics of public service provision, distributive politics, gender disparities and multi-level governance. Her research has been published, or is forthcoming, in The American Journal of Political Science, The British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Theoretical Politics and Political Research Quarterly and her book has been published with Cambridge University Press (2016). Her major ongoing projects focus on the pathways through which citizens gain formalized access to services and a project funded by the National Science Foundation on the role of state actors in shaping citizens’ pro-developmental attitudes and behaviors.. Prior to joining the faculty at Georgia Tech, Anjali was a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She obtained her Ph.D. from New York University in 2010.
- Ph.D. New York University.
- B.A. Dartmouth College
Interests
- Comparative Politics: Regional Studies
- Economic Development
- Globalization: Political Economy and Governance
Focuses:
- Asia (South)
- Gender
- International Development
- Conflicts
- Governance
- Infrastructure
- Political Economy
- Politics
- Vulnerable Populations
Courses
- INTA-2050: Intro to Global Develpmt
- INTA-3303: Pol Economy-Development
- INTA-4040: Environmental Politics
- INTA-6003: Empirical Research Meth
- INTA-6202: Comparative Politics
- INTA-6704: Intro Global Development
Publications
Selected Publications
Books
- Democratization from Above: The Logic of Local Democracy in the Developing World
Date: June 2016
Journal Articles
- Ethnonationalist Gender Norms: How Parties Shape Voter Attitudes toward Female Candidates in India
In: American Journal of Political Science [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2024
- How Electoral Cycles Shape the Implementation of Public Works Programs: Evidence from India
In: Political Research Quarterly [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2023
- Electing Women in Ethnically Divided Societies: Candidates, Campaigns, and Intersectionality in Bihar, India
In: Comparative Political Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: November 2022
- Development or Rent-Seeking? How Political Influence Shapes Public Works Provision in India
In: British Journal of Political Science [Peer Reviewed]
Date: January 2021
- Targeting Ordinary Voters or Political Elites?: Why Pork is Distributed Along Partisan Lines in India
In: American Journal of Political Science [Peer Reviewed]
Date: July 2018
- Economic growth and ethnic violence: An empirical investigation of Hindu–Muslim riots in India
In: Journal of Peace Research [Peer Reviewed]
Date: August 2010
Other Publications
- Critical Dialogue “Democracy Protests: Origins, Significance and Consequences” by Dawn Brancati and “Democratization from Above: The Logic of Local Democracy in the Developing World” by Anjali Thomas.
In: Perspectives on Politics
Date: December 2017
All Publications
Books
- Democratization from Above: The Logic of Local Democracy in the Developing World
Date: June 2016
Journal Articles
- Ethnonationalist Gender Norms: How Parties Shape Voter Attitudes toward Female Candidates in India
In: American Journal of Political Science [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2024
- How Electoral Cycles Shape the Implementation of Public Works Programs: Evidence from India
In: Political Research Quarterly [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2023
- Electing Women in Ethnically Divided Societies: Candidates, Campaigns, and Intersectionality in Bihar, India
In: Comparative Political Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: November 2022
- The (Missing?) Role of Institutions in Behavioral Public Administration: A Roundtable Discourse.
In: Journal of Behavioral Public Administration
Date: April 2022
- Development or Rent-Seeking? How Political Influence Shapes Public Works Provision in India
In: British Journal of Political Science [Peer Reviewed]
Date: January 2021
- Targeting Ordinary Voters or Political Elites?: Why Pork is Distributed Along Partisan Lines in India
In: American Journal of Political Science [Peer Reviewed]
Date: July 2018
- Economic growth and ethnic violence: An empirical investigation of Hindu–Muslim riots in India
In: Journal of Peace Research [Peer Reviewed]
Date: August 2010
- Coups, Elections, and the Predatory State
In: Journal of Theoretical Politics
Date: April 2010
Other Publications
- Critical Dialogue “Democracy Protests: Origins, Significance and Consequences” by Dawn Brancati and “Democratization from Above: The Logic of Local Democracy in the Developing World” by Anjali Thomas.
In: Perspectives on Politics
Date: December 2017