Malte Michael Lierl

Malte Michael Lierl is a Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) since November 2017 and previously served as a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University's MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies (2015–2017). He holds a PhD in Political Science (2015) and advanced degrees in Statistics, Political Economy, and Economics from Yale and Syracuse Universities.

• Affiliation: GIGA Institute of African Studies (Research Fellow)
• Former Roles: Yale Africa Initiative (Academic Associate Director), World Bank (Africa Impact Evaluation Initiative)

Research Focus: Lierl specializes in experimental political economy, analyzing how social preferences, norm-oriented behavior, and institutional incentives shape governance. His work addresses:

• Political responsibility and corruption
• Civic engagement and voter behavior
• Innovations in state structures and policy efficiency
• Legitimacy in fragile states (e.g., Mali, Afghanistan)

Publications & Contributions: Recent works include analyses of European foreign policy in the Sahel, aid effectiveness in post-Taliban Afghanistan, and institutional fragility in the Sahel. His studies often employ field experiments to assess rural transformation and social cohesion.

Media & Lectures: Lierl has contributed to Deutsche Welle, NDR Info, and Tagesschau on Sahel instability and Russian influence. He has presented at workshops hosted by the World Bank and GIGA Talks, focusing on empirical methods for policy design.

Contact: mlierl@clingendael.org