Crystal Murphy

Crystal Murphy is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Chapman University's Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. She serves as Director of the MA in International Studies Program and co-Director of the Chapman Olive Tree Initiative chapter. Dr. Murphy is also affiliated with the Peace Studies Department.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Vanguard University of Southern California, and both a Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine.

Dr. Murphy's research focuses on conflict, humanitarianism, and development, with particular emphasis on qualitative methods for policy-oriented scholarship. She advocates for centering the voices of those directly involved in and affected by conflict situations. Her work demonstrates a strong commitment to understanding how development programs interact with conflict dynamics, particularly in East African contexts where she has conducted extensive field research.

Analysis of Dr. Murphy's publications reveals a consistent focus on the intersection of economic development, conflict, and humanitarian response. Her work spans African studies with particular attention to South Sudan and Sudan, examining how microfinance systems and cash transfer programs operate in post-conflict environments and how they interact with existing social and political dynamics.

• Microcredit Meltdown: The Rise and Fall of South Sudan's Post-Conflict Microcredit Sector (2018)
• Routledge Environmental Security Handbook (2022, as co-editor)
• "Resistance Committees and their Roles in the Sudan's Democratic Transition" (2023)
• "De Facto Preferential Lending: How South Sudan's microfinance industry unwittingly fostered divisions along wartime diaspora lines" (2017)

Dr. Murphy teaches courses including Global Political Economy, International Relations, Politics of Humanitarianism, International Development Strategy & NGOs, and Environmental Policy. Her current research examines refugee beneficiary and policymaker responses to cash transfer programs. She has extensive field experience working with NGOs, UN agencies, and financial institutions in East Africa, bringing practical insights to her academic work and teaching.