Dr. Mai Hassan, in her recent book Regime Threats and State Solutions, analyses how the state can serve as a powerful tool for social control and how leaders can use their authority to manage bureaucrats to induce the type of bureaucratic behavior that furthers leaders’ policy and political goals.  Her work is based on years of field research in Kenya and Foreign Affairs has said that “Hassan’s book should be required reading for students of contemporary authoritarian rule.”

To help us understand and learn more about state bureaucracy and authoritarian rule in the Kenyan context, CIC Edmonton is being joined by author Dr. Hassan.  A moderated audience Q&A period will follow the presentation on the report.

About our speaker:

Dr. Mai Hassan is an Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Michigan and her research focuses on authoritarian and hybrid regimes, the state, land and violence, and ethnic politics with a regional focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Hassan obtained her Phd from Harvard University was a 2019-2020 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow.