Pia Raffler

Pia Raffler serves as Assistant Professor of Government at Harvard University, conducting research at the intersection of comparative politics and political economy with focus on accountability mechanisms in Sub-Saharan Africa and Germany. Her work combines experimental fieldwork with qualitative analysis to examine bureaucratic oversight and voter behavior in weakly institutionalized settings.

Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University and a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University's Niehaus Center and Center for Study of Democratic Politics.

Raffler's research spans bureaucracy, democracy, gender representation, electoral systems, political economy, public policy, and voter behavior. She designs large-scale field experiments in collaboration with government agencies and civil society organizations to test accountability interventions, particularly in Uganda where she previously established Innovations for Poverty Action's office. Her methodological approach integrates qualitative insights with quantitative testing to uncover causal mechanisms.

Her publication record reveals consistent focus on experimental analysis of accountability in developing democracies, with recent expansion into digital media effects and German politics. Key themes include information asymmetries in electoral accountability, bureaucratic power dynamics, and institutional design impacts on service delivery.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Best Fieldwork Award (2016, American Political Science Association)
• Best Dissertation Award in Experimental Research (APSA)
• Best Experimental Paper Award (APSA)

Raffler maintains active research partnerships with government agencies and political parties to implement testable reforms. She holds affiliations with Harvard's Evidence for Policy Design, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Center for African Studies, and Center for International Development. As a member of EGAP and editorial board member for the British Journal of Political Science, she contributes to shaping experimental governance research globally.