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Eric Ndahayo Mvukiyehe

Assistant Professor of Political Science
Political Science

Overview


I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Duke University (tenure track.) My academic and policy research cut across many topics and contexts, including on: (i) reducing poverty and promoting socioeconomic welfare and psychological wellbeing for the poor and at-risk youth; (ii) political economy of conflict, peacebuilding and development in fragile and war-torn countries; (iii) strengthening state capacity in fragile states through reforming the civil service and traditional institutions; and (iv) promoting women’s empowerment through socioeconomic inclusion and political participation. I have also been conducting (v) COVID-19 research, leveraging previous or ongoing research to in investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses as well as households’ welfare and well-being in efforts to help inform policies and strategies to mitigate the pandemic’s deleterious effects.

Prior to joining the Duke Faculty, I was an Economist at the World Bank’s Development Economics Vice-Presidency (DEC), in its Development Impact Evaluation Department (DIME), where I helped establish and led the Evidence for Peace (E4P) program. This is an innovative research program on Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) whose main goal was to provide evidence-based guide to policy action and projects’ mid-course correction, while addressing critical knowledge gaps identified in the World Development Report (WDR) 2014 (see E4P/FCV program blurb here). At its peak, the E4P program a portfolio of over 40 impact evaluation studies, which covers over $2.5 billion of FCV operations in 25 countries and has about $35 million in research funding. I was also the World Bank’s Institutional Representative at the Experiments in Governance and Politics (EGAP), a global research, evaluation, and learning network that promotes rigorous knowledge accumulation, innovation, and evidence-based policy in various governance and accountability domains.

Prior to joining DEC/DIME, I worked in the Word Bank’s Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL), where I provided technical assistance in the design and implementation of gender programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. I was also a Democracy Fellow with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where I developed rigorous impact evaluations and analytical work of US Government programs in the Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) sector. Finally, prior to joining the World Bank, I consulted for the United Nations (UN) Secretariat, where I led impact evaluations of UN peacekeeping operations in Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia using local population surveys, as part of a broader evaluation of these operations’ performance by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

I hold a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University (2014), with focus on international security/relations, political economy, and comparative politics. I have taught, given talks and written extensively about the aforementioned research areas for many years and my research has been published in the Journal of Development Economics (JDE); the Review of Economics and Statistics (REStat); the BMJ Global Health; the Quarterly Journal of Political Science (QJPS); the World Politics (WP); the World Development (WD); the Journal of Conflict Resolution (JCR); the Journal of Peace Research (JPR); and the Comparative Political Studies (CPS), among other outlets.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of Political Science · 2021 - Present Political Science, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Affiliate of the Duke Center for International Development · 2023 - Present Duke Center for International Development, Sanford School of Public Policy

In the News


Published June 11, 2024
Cultivating Peace in Broken Countries

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Recent Publications


Trustworthy Media and Gender Gaps in Political Participation after Civil War: Experimental Evidence from Rural Liberia

Journal Article British Journal of Political Science · April 22, 2025 This study investigates the effects of media exposure on gender gaps in political participation in post-war Liberia. Five weeks prior to the 2011 general election, women eligible voters in randomly selected villages were provided radio sets and organized t ... Full text Cite

Effects of a community-driven water, sanitation, and hygiene intervention on diarrhea, child growth, and local institutions: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Democratic Republic of Congo.

Journal Article PLoS medicine · March 2025 BackgroundDiarrhea and growth faltering in early childhood reduce survival and impair neurodevelopment. We assessed whether a national program combining (i) funds for latrine and water upgrades; (ii) institutional strengthening; and (iii) behavior ... Full text Cite

Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Cash for Work: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Tunisia

Journal Article Journal of Development Studies · January 1, 2025 While a growing literature analyzes the economic effects of cash for work programs in developing countries, there remains little evidence about the longer-term effects of these interventions. This paper presents findings from a randomized controlled trial ... Full text Open Access Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


Columbia University · 2014 Ph.D.

External Links


ericmvukiyehe.com