Faisal Ahmed

Faisal Ahmed is a political economist whose research examines the relationship between international economic forces and political institutions, with particular attention to foreign aid, international finance, trade, authoritarianism, conflict, and long-run economic development. His recent work explores how historical institutions and state formation have shaped contemporary patterns of governance and development, especially in Muslim-majority societies. He is Associate Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College and previously a faculty member at Princeton University. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 2010. His book Conquests and Rents: A Political Economy of Dictatorship and Violence in Muslim Societies (Cambridge University Press, 2023) received the 2024 Best Book Award from the Democracy and Autocracy Section of the American Political Science Association.

Research Interests: Political economy; international economics and development; economic history; and globalization.