Political science professor, Director of MIT Center for International Studies and Global Diversity Lab. I study democratic governance, climate policy, ethnic politics, mostly in Africa.https://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3mruut5xwhp2nRooibos tea is tasty, healthy, and can bring the world a little closer. Is interdependence really all that bad? My take: https://globalcommons.substack.com/p/rooibos-tea-and-the-case-for-interdependence?r=nmb3730 Jul 2026 16:38 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mruut5xwhp2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3mr6e3wg2cj2gWe can put up more guardrails against AI-related cheating. But maybe we should talk more with students about integrity and trust, and create a learning atmosphere in which faculty don't need to police. That's what I argue in my Global Commons substack: https://globalcommons.substack.com/p/trust-policing-and-ai-in-the-classroom?r=nmb3721 Jul 2026 17:40 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr6e3wg2cj2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3mq7sav6hjj2bPlease check out my latest substack on Americans and foreign suffering. Recently published research demonstrates that American concern for suffering drops precipitously when victims are not American! https://globalcommons.substack.com/p/do-americans-care-about-foreign-suffering?r=nmb3709 Jul 2026 14:00 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq7sav6hjj2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3mkiq7nc7ek2oOver two billion people lack access to safe water. Are democracies better at closing this massive gap? A substack on recently published research at World Development with Naomi Tilles on the limits of democracy for achieving universal safe water access https://globalcommons.substack.com/p/democracy-delivers-the-tap-but-not?r=nmb3727 Apr 2026 18:47 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkiq7nc7ek2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3mi2iyffluk23Valuing human authenticity in the age of AI https://open.substack.com/pub/globalcommons/p/valuing-human-authenticity-in-the?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web27 Mar 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi2iyffluk23https://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3mhefyq2mjs2gPlease check out my latest substack post on Japanese design, culture, and disaster preparedness! https://open.substack.com/pub/globalcommons/p/facing-danger?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web18 Mar 2026 21:18 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhefyq2mjs2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3m2jnfd6umk2gThe MIT Center for International Studies (CIS) is searching for two Postdoctoral Associates for the 2026–27 academic year. Please apply! To learn more, visit: https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_mit/external/jobDetails/jobDetail.html?jobPostId=32886&localeCode=en-us @MIT_CIS @MITPoliSci06 Oct 2025 12:46 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2jnfd6umk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lydjkcekps2vCall for applications! The MIT Center for International Studies (CIS) is seeking two Postdoctoral Associates for the 2026–27 academic year. We are looking for scholars demonstrating exceptional scholarly achievement and promise for policy- relevant research. Please visit: tinyurl.com/33d2veuf08 Sep 2025 15:31 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lydjkcekps2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lx5xkwyp6k2iWith today's start of women's and men's singles at the #usopen25, I want to share my brief essay that appeared in the @nytimes.com yesterday. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/opinion/international-sports-tennis-america-first.html Thanks to so many who reached out with nice comments! (And the less nice ones were pretty civil!)24 Aug 2025 17:00 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lx5xkwyp6k2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lt37foenxc2mVery happy to share that our study of dignity appeals is now out at PSRM [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 Jul 2025 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lt37foenxc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lo54obgjqc26JOB ALERT: Come work as lab manager / research associate at the Global Diversity Lab at MIT -- a great opportunity for recent undergraduates considering a PhD in political science #development #climate #diversity Recent LM's went to Stanford, Yale, Berkeley https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_mit/external/en-us/gateway/viewFromLink.html?jobPostId=32304&localeCode=en-us&referralCode=93024-86506-7589201 May 2025 20:12 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo54obgjqc26https://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lnglvudk622xLooking forward to presenting some research (joint with @devincaughey.bsky.social and Preston Johnston) on ethnicity and climate attitudes in Africa at the USC Comparative Politics workshop tomorrow.22 Apr 2025 21:14 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnglvudk622xhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lmsxqzlevk2pI am looking forward to this event on Wednesday @mit-cis.bsky.social when I'll be moderating a discussion with two leading analysts Kori Schake (AEI) and Juliette Kayyem (HKS), focused on US Foreign Policy under President Trump [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Apr 2025 01:53 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmsxqzlevk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3ljsnxnreqs2nOf all the minority groups in the world that need the care and support of the United States, the white farmers of #SouthAfrica ... do not rank very high. If the U.S. cares about South Africans, let's not take away aid for HIV meds or energy transition https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/world/africa/trump-south-africa-farmers-citizenship.html?smid=url-share07 Mar 2025 18:42 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljsnxnreqs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3liwdjzmfb227My piece on the remarkable parallels between turn-of-the-20th century South Africa and the United States today, with lessons for what could come next. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2025-02-23-lessons-from-donald-trumps-south-african-doppelganger-paul-kruger/?dm_source=dm_block_grid&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=main24 Feb 2025 12:21 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3liwdjzmfb227https://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lhcwfl3ua22jDespite efforts to shutter #USAID, which would be a significant blow to many African countries, it's clear that Pres Trump does care deeply about one minority group on the continent: White South Africans -- the wealthiest 4+ million people on a continent of 1.5 billion. https://apnews.com/article/trump-elon-musk-south-africa-aid-freeze-69f81617f8aea157eac0cc021e1b155604 Feb 2025 01:40 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhcwfl3ua22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lgpu4txnsc2gEncouraging evidence of global leadership from #SouthAfrica President Cyril Ramaphosa https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-01-26-ramaphosa-champions-forward-thinking-g20-agenda-diverging-sharply-from-trump-doctrine/?utm_source=dm-app&utm_medium=link27 Jan 2025 11:38 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgpu4txnsc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3ld2j4bc3ts2xFollowing #COP29, critical to understand sources of support, resistance for climate aid to the Global South. Published today in Climatic Change, we highlight that messages about America's historic carbon emissions boost support for climate-related foreign aid... https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-024-03826-y11 Dec 2024 19:40 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3ld2j4bc3ts2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/evlieb.bsky.social/post/3lczrmr2r4s2mCongratulations @vcharnysh.bsky.social on the publication of Uprooted!11 Dec 2024 12:40 +0000at://did:plc:2dmunqjcdjxlb7wp2cuimmsi/app.bsky.feed.post/3lczrmr2r4s2m