Michael G. Findley
Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Centennial Professor of Government
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin
I study three big questions
Why does political violence occur?
Does foreign aid work?
When do findings generalize?
I publish in Nature Human Behaviour, PNAS, AJPS, International Organization, Management Science, and Cambridge University Press. I conduct fieldwork in Colombia, Afghanistan, DRC, Sudan, South Sudan, South Africa, and Uganda.
Professor (by courtesy) at McCombs and LBJ · Co-director, IPD · Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar · EGAP member · President, Evaluasi
Recent Articles
Nature Human Behaviour · 2026
The Effectiveness of Economic Sanctions Before and After the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Management Science · 2025
Can Digital Aid Deliver During Humanitarian Crises?
AJPS · 2025
Banking Bad: A Global Field Experiment on Risk, Reward, and Regulation
PNAS · 2024
Vulnerability in Research Ethics: A Call for Assessing Vulnerability and Implementing Protections
Books
Cambridge University Press · 2014
Global Shell Games
A coordinated field experiment across 182 countries exposing how easily shell companies shield illicit finance from regulators — research that shaped landmark U.S. and UK legislation.
globalshellgames.com →
Cambridge University Press · Under Contract
External Validity for Social Inquiry
A new framework for assessing when and how research findings travel across contexts, populations, and settings — developed across a decade of methodological work.
externalvalidity.com →
In preparation for submission
Aid in Conflict
Drawing on original data and field experiments across Sub-Saharan Africa, this book examines whether and how foreign aid shapes the onset, intensity, and resolution of violent conflict.
Learn more →
In progress
Wrong Is Right
On prediction precision and confirmation bias in empirical social science.
Learn more →
Explore
Contact
Department of Government · The University of Texas at Austin
3.102 Batts, Austin, TX 78712
mikefindley@utexas.edu