The Working Group in African Political
Economy (WGAPE)
Founded in 2002, the Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE
- pronounced "wah-gah-pay") brings together west coast-based faculty
and advanced graduate students in Political Science and Economics who
combine deep field research experience in Africa with training in political
economy methods. The group meets semi-annually to discuss the work-in-progress
of its
regular members and invited guests. It is co-led by
Daniel Posner (Department of Political Science, UCLA) and
Edward Miguel (Department of Economics, UC Berkeley).
WGAPE meetings begin with a lunch on Friday and end after dinner on
Saturday. Meetings are built around in-depth discussions of seven or
eight papers (see the archive of papers discussed at past WGAPE meetings).
The emphasis is on discussion rather than presentation, and members
are encouraged to present work in progress on which they would like
feedback from the group.
Papers presented at WGAPE meetings have been published in many of the
leading journals in Political Science and Economics, including the Journal
of Political Economy, the American Political Science Review, the Journal
of African Economies, World Politics, African Affairs, the Journal of
Economic Perspectives, the Review of Economic Studies, and the Review
of African Political Economy, as well as in several edited volumes.