Overview
Malesky is a specialist on Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam. Currently, Malesky's research agenda is very much at the intersection of Comparative and International Political Economy, falling into three major categories: 1) Authoritarian political institutions and their consequences; 2) The political influence of foreign direct investment and multinational corporations; and 3) Political institutions, private business development, and formalization.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Political Science
·
2016 - Present
Political Science,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Director of the Duke Center for International Development
·
2020 - Present
Duke Center for International Development,
Sanford School of Public Policy
Director of Graduate Studies
·
2025 - Present
Political Science,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy
·
2020 - Present
Sanford School of Public Policy
Recent Publications
A Field of Her Own: Property Rights and Women’s Agency in Myanmar
Journal Article Journal of Politics · January 1, 2026 Can financial incentives lead households to register land in women’s names, thereby providing them with formal property rights? Can formal property ownership improve women’s economic outcomes and change decision-making dynamics within the household? To inv ... Full text CiteEconomic risk perceptions and willingness to learn about globalization: A field experiment with migrants and other underprivileged groups in Vietnam
Journal Article American Journal of Political Science · October 1, 2025 Existing research maintains that socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals are reluctant to seek information that might help mitigate risk. We challenge this convention by proposing that perceptions of risks associated with global economic shocks can inc ... Full text CiteSynthesizing Theories of Authoritarian Elections: A Game-Free Analysis
Journal Article Comparative Political Studies · September 1, 2025 Authoritarian regimes adopt ostensibly democratic institutions for undemocratic purposes. Existing research emphasizes five different functions of elections under authoritarianism, driven by idiosyncratic assumptions about the type of dictator and the stru ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
The Political Economy of Authoritarian Nostalgia: Catastrophic Forgetting in Newly Consolidated Democracies
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by American Political Science Association · 2025 - 2026South East Asia Research Group (SEAREG)
ConferencePrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. · 2024 - 2026VinUni-Duke Innovation & Sustainability Center
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Institute of International Education · 2025 - 2026View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Duke University ·
2004
Ph.D.