Our cherished friend and colleague Nicolas van de Walle (1957-2024) shaped the field of political science and African politics in substantial and important ways. His insights into the politics of economic policymaking and “permanent crisis,” the driving forces of regime dynamics, electoral politics, and democratic transitions continue to underpin the foundations of comparative politics.

Beyond his written work, van de Walle’s legacy is firmly anchored in how he treated his fellow scholars—at home at Cornell and around the world. His kindness, generosity of spirit, intellectual curiosity, and joy in the ongoing process of learning from others. These are the characteristics that define him to so many who were lucky enough to know him and interact with him. He has served as a mentor to hundreds: offering support, incisive feedback, advice, and conversation to think through the politics of our time. We honor him as a brilliant scholar and a gentle soul who lifted others up and made our collective humanity richer.

This conference in his honor will focus on the core themes of African political economy, regimes, and modes of electoral and social participation and contestation.

Hosted by the
Institute for African Development (Einaudi Center for International Studies); Department of Government; College of Arts and Sciences; and the Center on Global Democracy (Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy).

Organizers
Rachel Beatty Riedl, Peggy J. Koenig ‘78 Director of the Center on Global Democracy (Brooks School of Public Policy) and Professor, Government; Rachel Bezner Kerr, Director, Institute for African Development, and Professor, Global Development; Sabrina Karim, Associate Professor, Department of Government; Muna Ndulo, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of International & Comparative Law, Cornell Law School; and, Oumar Ba, Assistant Professor, Government, Cornell

International Fair showcases Cornell's global opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. Explore the fair and find out about international majors and minors, language study, study abroad, funding opportunities, global internships, Cornell Global Hubs, and more.

The International Fair is sponsored by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and Office of Global Learning (both part of Global Cornell) in partnership with the Language Resource Center.

Register on CampusGroups to receive a reminder. Registration is not required.

Join the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies’ undergraduate global scholars for a showcase of their capstone presentations providing public commentary and perspectives on global democracy.

Undergraduate global scholars advocate for building democracy on campus and around the world. They have partnered with the Einaudi Center's democratic threats and resilience faculty fellow Kenneth Roberts and Lund Practitioner in Residence Thomas Garrett—expert researchers and practitioners on building democracy—to design their projects.

Join Einaudi Center and Brooks School researchers for three-minute speed talks and community conversation on our contemporary moment.

Speakers will jump off from interdisciplinary and international research, experiences, and world events to provide a fresh perspective on current U.S. politics and public policy. Together we'll look at challenges faced and solutions found in a variety of academic fields and places around the world—to help us think through how to address emerging issues at home.

The event features clusters of speed talks on related topics—including free speech, U.S. elections, and international aid—with time for Q&A and conversation on each topic.

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Faculty Speakers

Lessons from Latin America

Kenneth Roberts, Democratic Threats Fellow (LACS) | GovernmentGustavo Flores-Macías (LACS) | Government and Public PolicySantiago Anria (LACS) | Global Labor and Work

International Implications

Magnus Fiskesjö (EAP/SEAP/PACS) | AnthropologyBryn Rosenfeld (IES) | GovernmentWilliam Lodge II (SAP) | Health Equity and Public Policy

Domestic Consequences

Mabel Berezin, IES Director | SociologyGautam Hans | LawMoon Duchin | MathematicsEllen Lust, Einaudi Center Director | Government and Public Policy

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Sponsors

This conversation is hosted by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, partnering with Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy's Governance and Local Development Institute and Data and Democracy Lab.

Find out how graduate and undergraduate students can get started at Einaudi.

Preserving her musical past, Sona Jobarteh innovates to support a more humanitarian future. The spirit of her musical work stands on the mighty shoulders of the West African griot tradition; she is a living archive of the Gambian people. Her singing and kora playing, while fronting her band, spring directly from this heritage. Sona Jobarteh has performed live to audiences from the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Symphony Space in New York to London’s Barbican, Cologne’s Philharmonie, and the Seine Musicale in Paris. Hailed as “mould-breaking” (Songlines Magazine), Sona Jobarteh is “a griot for a new generation” (BBC World Service).

“Guaranteed to hold the attention of any audience… There’s no disputing she’s at the top of her trade.” – The Morning Star

Sona Jobarteh will join Cornell faculty members Catherine Appert, N'dri Assie-Lumumba, Judith Byfield, Naminata Diabate, and Victoria Xaka for a panel discussion about gender, culture, and development in Africa. The discussion is free with no tickets required.