معرفی
Ben Ross Schneider is the Ford International Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Director of the MIT Chile Program. He joined MIT in 2008 after teaching positions at Princeton University and Northwestern University. His academic work focuses on comparative politics, political economy, and Latin American politics, with particular expertise in business politics, education politics, industrial policy, and comparative capitalism across Latin American nations.
Professor Schneider's research examines how political institutions, business groups, and social actors interact to shape economic and social policies in developing regions. His work on education reform politics explores the complex relationships between teacher unions, business interests, and political institutions in middle-income countries. He investigates why certain policy reforms succeed while others fail, emphasizing the political dimensions of economic development and institutional change.
His publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on Latin American political economy, particularly Brazil. Schneider's research reveals how business-government relations shape industrial policy outcomes and how political institutions mediate the relationship between economic development and social policy. His comparative work on the 'middle income trap' highlights political barriers to sustained development beyond purely economic constraints.
- Ford International Professor (prestigious endowed chair at MIT)
- MIT Committed to Caring Honoree (2021-23)
Professor Schneider's research has received support from major institutions including the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, Fulbright Program, Social Science Research Council, Searle Foundation, Kellogg Institute, Heinz Foundation, Tinker Foundation, and Inter-American Foundation. He has consulted for the Ford Foundation, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, Global Development Network, UNRISD, UNDP, and governments of Brazil and the United States, bridging academic research with practical policy application.
