Brigitte Seim is a scholar of comparative politics, focusing on the political economy of development. Her research agenda examines the relationship between citizens and political officials, with a particular emphasis on accountability in consolidating democracies. Brigitte’s dissertation analyzed the strategic … Read more

Abhik Kumar Pramanik is a Doctoral Student in the Department of Public Policy with a particular interest in studying the economic impact of international government interventions in developing countries. Abhik graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2015, with … Read more

Elizabeth Sasser has a B.A. and an M.P.P. from Duke University, and studied at Peking University in Beijing, China, where she developed a fluency in Mandarin. Sasser served as a policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Energy through the … Read more

Rebecca Kreitzer’s research focuses on American politics by bridging political behavior and institutions to explain public policy in the fifty states. As a scholar whose work incorporates multiple subfields within American politics, Dr. Kreitzer takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding … Read more

Anna Krome-Lukens completed her Ph.D. in U.S. History at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on the history of social welfare and public health policies, particularly the history of North Carolina’s eugenics and social welfare programs in the early 20th century. … Read more

Jessica is has returned to UNC Public Policy after graduating in 2016. She served as the Prevention Education and Outreach Coordinator with Our Voice, a local nonprofit in Asheville, where she facilitated programs promoting healthy relationships for local youth and … Read more

Professor Lauen’s research examines the effectiveness of educational policies, school types, and interventions on students and how these effects vary for traditionally underserved populations. He has examined the effects of educational accountability and performance incentive policies, school choice options such … Read more

Douglas MacKay holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining the Department of Public Policy on July 1, 2013, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health. … Read more

Brennan Mange is a Ph.D. candidate interested in the factors that shape college student success, and the ways that policy affects student outcomes. Brennan is a skilled quantitative researcher, experienced with experimental and quasi-experimental methods. Brennan enjoys all types of … Read more

Anna’s research interests include the processes and ethics of how public benefits and cash transfers in the U.S. are justified, administered, changed, and studied. Prior to joining UNC Public Policy as a Ph.D. student, Anna worked on health and human … Read more