Violence in the Central African Republic, the subversion of democracy in Latin America, and innovative student work in Africa were the topics of discussion in March on “The MacMillan Report,” a one-on-one interview show presented by Yale’s Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.
Designed to showcase the innovative research by Yale faculty in international and area studies, “The MacMillan Report” is hosted by Marilyn Wilkes, communications director at the MacMillan Center, and airs on Wednesdays at noon during the academic year. Each segment runs between 15 and 20 minutes long.
Launched in October of 2008, the show has featured more than 200 faculty members (see the show’s archive).
“State of Rebellion: Violence and Intervention in the Central African Republic”
Louisa Lombard, assistant professor of anthropology
March 1
Lombard is a cultural anthropologist who studies African borderland areas where the state is largely absent, and a range of actors govern. Her research on the remote and little-populated eastern reaches of the Central African Republic shows they are further marked by violent histories that continue into the present. In her main fieldwork she has engaged with the region’s men-in-arms, such as anti-poaching guards and rebels.
Polarization and the subversion of democracy in Latin America
Milan Svolik, associate professor of political science
March 8
Svolik has authored and co-authored articles on the politics of authoritarian regimes and democratization in leading political science journals, including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, and the Journal of Politics. He is the author of “The Politics of Authoritarian Rule,” which received the best book award from the Comparative Democratization Section of the American Political Science Association. In addition to continuing work on the politics of authoritarianism and democratization, Svolik is currently focusing his research on electoral fraud, patronage politics, the politics of identity & redistribution. He is also working on a new book, “Democratization in the Age of Elections.”
Innovative student work in Africa
Bo Hopkins, lecturer, MacMillan Center
March 29
Bo Hopkins is a lecturer at the MacMillan Center, the Jackson Institute, and the Yale School of Management. He has more than 30 years of private industry investment, management, and consulting experience. He has been a managing partner with CM Equity Partners since 1999. His coursework at Yale has been designed to introduce graduate and undergraduate students to practical issues faced by mission-driven social entrepreneurs based in Africa, India, and other developing nations.
