Gerardo Serra

Gerardo Serra is a Lecturer in Economic Cultures and History at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on 20th-century West Africa, particularly Ghana and Nigeria, examining the political dimensions of economic and statistical knowledge. He combines intellectual history, political anthropology, and the sociology of science to analyze state-building processes and development narratives. Serra holds a PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE), where his dissertation won the Joseph Dorfman Best Dissertation Prize in 2016.

His academic journey includes roles as a Presidential Fellow at Manchester, a research fellow at the Nantes Institute for Advanced Studies (2017-2018), and a temporary lecturer at the University of Sussex (2014-2017). His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to education and economic growth.

Research interests span economic history, state-building, African socialism, and post-colonial governance. Key themes include the interplay between statistical systems and political legitimacy, the role of economic ideas in shaping policies, and the transnational exchanges of development models. Serra’s recent publications explore topics like W. Arthur Lewis’s legacy, UN Pan-African statistical initiatives, and the political imagination behind Ghana’s 1960 census.

He is actively involved in editorial work for Taylor & Francis and has been featured in podcasts and blogs discussing economic history. His office is located in the Samuel Alexander Building (S 2.28), with regular office hours in the autumn term.