Catherine Boone

Professor Catherine Boone holds the Harold Laski Chair in Political Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), concurrently serving as Programme Director for African Development in the Department of International Development and affiliated with the Department of Government. Her research focuses on political economy, property rights, and regional inequalities in Africa, emphasizing how land tenure systems shape political conflict and electoral dynamics. Boone has been funded by major institutions including the ESRC, SSRC, and World Bank. She is a Fellow of both the British and American Academies of Arts and Sciences. Current projects include studying commodity chain governance in Kenya and Côte d'Ivoire. Boone's 2014 book Property and Political Order: Land Rights and the Structure of Politics in Africa won the APSA Luebbert Book Award (2016). She leads initiatives like the APSA-ASA Africa Initiative and advises the SSRC African Peacebuilding Network. Boone’s research integrates spatial analysis and institutionalist frameworks to explain Africa’s political economies, challenging assumptions of institutional 'weakness' through empirical studies of land policies and electoral behavior.

Education & Career: While specific academic credentials are not detailed here, Boone's career trajectory includes professorships at LSE since 2013, prior roles at universities in the US, and extensive fieldwork across West and East Africa. Her work bridges comparative politics and development studies, with a focus on subnational political structures.

Research Interests: Boone investigates how property rights frameworks influence political stability, electoral competition, and ethnic conflict. Her work highlights how spatial inequalities—rooted in colonial-era policies—shape contemporary political dynamics in Africa. Recent projects examine land certification impacts and the governance of agricultural commodity chains.

Awards & Grants: Boone has secured funding from the UK ESRC for the Spatial Inequalities in African Political Economy project (2023). Her accolades include the 2024 Distinguished Africanist Award and multiple best-book prizes. She has held leadership roles in APSA sections and African studies associations.

Advising & Mentorship: While no specific student names are listed, Boone mentors through her LSE courses (e.g., African Political Economy) and research initiatives. Her work often involves collaborative field research teams in Kenya and Côte d'Ivoire.

Labs & Teams: Boone coordinates interdisciplinary projects at LSE’s International Inequalities Institute and STICERD. Her research group analyzes geospatial data and conducts field experiments on land policy impacts.