Associate Professor of International Affairs

Curriculum Vitae

Professional Website

Dr. Laura Zimmermann is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Affairs and the Department of Economics at the University of Georgia. Her research interests lie in economic development, comparative politics and political economy with a focus on South Asia. A large part of her work focuses on understanding the political and economic consequences of large government initiatives. She has studied how the world’s largest government anti-poverty program affects elections and the allocation decisions made by politicians, and whether the program affected rural households’ labor market outcomes. Her second strand of research analyzes how resources are distributed within the household and whether girls and women are systematically discriminated against in the process.

Dr. Zimmermann holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) from the University of Oxford and an MA and PhD in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Education
  • Ph.D., University of Michigan 2014, Economics
  • M.A., University of Michigan 2010, Economics
  • B.A., University of Oxford 2008, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)
Areas of Expertise
  • Comparative Politics
  • Elections
  • Politics of the Developing World
Honors, Awards, and Achievements

Grants

  • International Growth Centre, 2016-2019. Project: “Production Responses and Tax Evasion with Limited State Capacity – Evidence from Major Reform in India” (with David R. Agrawal)

 

Honors

  • Terry College of Business Outstanding Teacher, University of Georgia (2019)
  • Swift Award for Outstanding Teaching in Undergraduate Economics, University of Georgia (2018)
  • World Bank Economic Review Excellence in Refereeing Award 2015-2016
Course Instruction

INTL 4320 Politics of Development