Laura Meinzen-Dick

Laura Meinzen-Dick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University (MSU), affiliated with the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. Her research focuses on customary tenure systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly their implications for agricultural investment, women's empowerment, and political behavior. She holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural & Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis, and a B.S. in Economics & Anthropology from the University of Mary Washington.

Her work bridges development economics and legal anthropology, examining how informal land tenure systems influence economic decisions and social dynamics. Key research areas include land governance decentralization, resilience of smallholder farmers to climate shocks, and gender dimensions of property rights. Notable projects explore tenure security in matrilineal societies and the cost-effectiveness of nutritional interventions in pregnancy.

Publications span topics like Ugandan agricultural investment, Burkina Faso's electoral land governance, and micronutrient supplement policies. She has conducted fieldwork in Rwanda, Uganda, Bangladesh, and Burkina Faso. Her research emphasizes policy-relevant insights for enhancing rural livelihoods and equity in resource access.