Madiha Afzal Address: 4129 Van Munching Hall Office phone: (301 ...

Madiha Afzal
Address: 4129 Van Munching Hall Office phone: (301) 405-8676
College Park, MD 20742 E-mail: mafzal@umd.edu
Education:
2002-2008 Ph.D. in Economics, Yale University
Dissertation Title: Understanding Voting in Elections and Legislator Behavior:
Exploiting Luck and Restrictions on Candidacy in South Asia
Fields: Development Economics and Political Economy
2002-2005 M.Phil., Economics, Yale University
2002-2003 M.A., Economics, Yale University
1998-2002 BSc (Honors) in Economics (minors: Mathematics & Computer Science),
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan
Gold Medalist, Ranked 1 st in graduating class
Employment:
Aug 2008 – present
Aug 2008 – present
Dec 2009 – present
Sept 2012 – present
Nov 2013 – present
Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland
Research Fellow, Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland
(CISSM)
Fellow, Center for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP)
Non-Resident Fellow, Brookings Institution
Visiting Research Fellow, IFPRI Pakistan Strategy Support Program
Publications:
Do Barriers to Candidacy Reduce Political Competition? Evidence from a Mandated Minimum
Education Requirement for Legislators in Pakistan. 2013. Public Choice.
Working Papers:
(1) Voter Rationality and Politician Incentives: Exploiting Luck in Indian and Pakistani Elections
(revise and resubmit, Journal of Development Economics)
(2) Are the Better Educated Less Likely to Support Militancy and Terrorism? Women Are. Evidence
from a Public Opinion Survey in Pakistan
(3) Does the Education of Politicians Matter? Evidence from a Mandated Minimum Education
Requirement for Legislators in Pakistan
(4) Children’s Work, Study and Leisure Time in Five Countries: Implications for Human Capital
Accumulation (with Cem Mete)
(5) The Political Party Effects of Musharraf’s Mandated Minimum Education Requirement for
Legislators in Pakistan
(6) Pakistan’s Incumbency Disadvantage
Research in Progress:
(1) Understanding the Determinants of Anti-Americanism in Pakistan
(2) Schooling and Radicalization in Pakistan
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Op-ed Articles:
Regular op-ed columnist for The Express Tribune (Pakistan partner of the International New York Times).
(1) “On Malala Yousufzai and the Education of Girls”, The Express Tribune, Oct 12, 2012 (quoted in
lead article on CNN.com, Oct 12/13, 2012).
(2) “Time to Look Inward”, The Express Tribune, Oct 26, 2012
(3) “Pakistan’s Squandered Chance at Education Reform”, Foreign Policy (The AfPak Channel),
October 29, 2012.
(4) “Drone Strikes and Anti-Americanism in Pakistan”, Brookings - Opinion, February 7, 2013.
(5) “Pakistan will Rise Again”, The Express Tribune, March 10, 2013
(6) “Can Imran Khan Ride to Victory?”, The Express Tribune, May 10, 2013
(7) “The Week After”, The Express Tribune, May 21, 2013
(8) “Who are the Terrorists?”, The Express Tribune, June 23, 2013
(9) “Terror’s Forgotten Victims in Pakistan”, The Express Tribune, July 7, 2013
(10) “Punjab’s Education Success Story”, The Express Tribune, July 21, 2013
(11) “The education-militancy connection”, The Express Tribune, August 4, 2013
(12) “Tragedy in Egypt”, The Express Tribune, August 18, 2013
(13) “The ‘evil’ in our textbooks”, The Express Tribune, Sept 1, 2013
(14) “Understanding the world through our (new) textbooks”, The Express Tribune, Oct 3, 2013
(15) “The emergency in Pakistan’s schools”, The Express Tribune, Oct 24, 2013
(16) “On Pakistani anti-Americanism”, The Express Tribune, Nov 14, 2013
Grants:
United States Institute of Peace Grant (Principal Investigator): “Education and Radicalization in
Pakistan” ($25,000), 2013
The study seeks to understand the links between Pakistan’s education system and increasing intolerance
through an in-depth qualitative survey in Pakistani public and private schools. Differences by gender will be a
particular focus.
Other Work Experience:
Feb – June 2012 Consultant, South Asia Social Protection Unit (Human Development Network), The
World Bank, Washington DC
Analyzed children’s Time Use Survey data across countries
June 2011
May - Aug 2004
Consultant, South Asia Social Protection Unit (Human Development Network), The
World Bank, Washington DC
Examined parliamentarian versus poverty scorecard beneficiary selection in the
Pakistan Benazir Income Support Program, input for the Pakistan Social Safety Net
Report 2011
Consultant, South Asia Sector Units (Poverty Reduction and Economic
Management Network), The World Bank, Washington DC
Pakistan Qualitative Gender Study Team, input for Pakistan Country Gender
Assessment 2005
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Teaching:
At UMD:
Director, Study Abroad course in Morocco (Morocco: Political and Social Development), Winter 2012,
Winter 2013
Director, International Development Policy Master’s Thesis Course, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013
Quantitative Methods for Public Policy, Fall 2008 (3 sections), Fall 2009 (3 sections), Spring 2011 (2
sections), Fall 2011, Spring 2013
Guest lecturer, PhD Research Methods Course, Spring 2009, Spring 2010
Teaching at Yale (as Teaching Fellow):
Introduction to Microeconomics (undergraduate), Fall 2006
Economic Development (Masters in International Development Economics program), Spring 2005
Economics of Developing Countries (undergraduate), Fall 2004
School and University Service (at UMD):
PhD Program Quantitative Exam Director, 2012
PhD Program Committee, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014
PhD Admissions Committee, 2011-12, 2012-2013
International Development PhD Comprehensive Exam Co-Examiner, 2008-present
Master’s Admissions Committee, 2011-12
International Development Faculty Search Committee, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11
International Economic Policy Faculty Search Committee, 2009-10
Other service: ISEP Project Course Second Reader, PhD Admissions Committee Second Reader (2009-2011)
Honors, Fellowships, and Awards:
• School of Public Policy Semester Research Fellowship, 2013-14
• School of Public Policy Special Initiative Research Grant, 2012-13
• School of Public Policy Summer Research Grant, Summer 2011, Summer 2010
• John F. Enders Fund Award, Yale University, Summer 2008
• Yale University Dissertation Fellowship, Fall 2007
• Sasakawa Research Award, Yale University, 2006, 2007
• Ryoichi Sasakawa Fellowship, Yale University, 2005-2006
• Yale University Doctoral Fellowship, 2002-2006
• Department of Economics Prize, Yale University, 2002-2006
• NMF Gold Medal, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), 2002 (Ranked 1st in
graduating class)
• Gold Medal in Economics, LUMS, 2002 (Ranked 1st in Economics majors)
• Dean’s Honour List, LUMS, 1998-2002
• Chaudhry Nazar Mohammad Scholar (Ranked 1st in junior year), LUMS, 2001
• Manzur-ul-Haq Scholar (Ranked 1st in sophomore year), LUMS, 2000
• Full Merit Scholarship, LUMS, 1999-2002
• ABN-AMRO Bank-LUMS Merit Scholarship, 1998
• Pakistan National Merit Scholarship, 1998 (declined)
• Gold Medal, Lahore Board, Fellow of Arts Examination, 1998 (Ranked 1st in Punjab in 12 th grade
province-wide examination)
• Board of Directors’ Awards, Sacred Heart School, Montreal, Canada, 1993-1996
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Conference/Invited Seminar Presentations:
2013: APPAM Annual Conference, FC College Center for Public Policy and Governance (Lahore),
APSA Annual Meeting, ISA Annual Convention, UCSD (Development and Conflict Research program
and the Project on International Affairs), UMD Public Policy, CISSM Forum
2012: Woodrow Wilson Center, NPSA Annual Meeting , University of Kentucky Patterson School Fall
Conference (part of invited expert panel), ISAC/ISSS/TISS Annual Conference, APSA Annual Meeting,
CGD, Brookings Institution, MPSA Annual Meeting (presenter, discussant), IFPRI (International Food
Policy Research Institute)
2011: CISSM Forum (Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland), START Terrorism
Research Center
2010: AEA Annual Meeting, Atlanta; CGD/JHU SAIS Joint Development Seminar (discussant); MPSA
Annual Meeting (presenter, chair, discussant)
2009: CGD/Johns Hopkins SAIS Joint Development Seminar (presenter, discussant); NEUDC (Northeast
Universities Development Consortium) Conference, Tufts University (presenter and discussant);
University of Maryland, School of Public Policy
2008: University of Maryland, Economics Dept and School of Public Policy; Center for Global
Development (CGD); NERA Economic Consulting; Cornerstone Research; Hamilton College; Williams
College; University of Virginia
2007: Yale Trade and Development Workshop; Northeast Universities Development Consortium
Conference, Harvard University (presenter and discussant); Leitner Political Economy Workshop, Yale
University; Pacific Development Conference, UC Davis
2006: Student Political Economics Conference held at the NBER (presenter and discussant); UC Berkeley
Development Lunch
Media Interviews:
2013: The New Republic
2012: CNN.com, Voice of America Daybreak Asia (radio), Voice of America Urdu TV
Completed PhD Dissertations supervised (on committee) (with first placement):
Charles Harry, 2013 (Department of Defense)
Soumya Chattopadhyay, 2013 (Brookings Institution)
Namrata Chindarkar, 2012 (National University of Singapore, Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy)
Naratunya Chuluunbaat, 2012
Alexandru Cojocaru, 2012 (World Bank)
Axel Radics, 2012
Referee Service: Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Development Economics, Public Choice,
Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence, Rationality and Society, Journal of Human Development and
Capabilities, Public Budgeting & Finance
Service to the Profession: MPSA 2013 Annual Meeting Economic Development Section Head
Professional and Academic Organizations: American Economic Association, American Political Science
Association, APPAM
Languages: English (native); Urdu (native); Punjabi (good); French (intermediate); Hindi (spoken)
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