Nina McMurry

Nina McMurry is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on accountability, representation, and state-building, particularly examining relationships between non-state actors and formal institutions. She holds a Ph.D. from MIT (2020) and previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. Her work spans the Philippines, South Africa, Guatemala, South Sudan, and the U.S., emphasizing Indigenous rights, civic education, and colonial legacies. Key projects include a book on Indigenous self-determination in the Philippines and analyses of vaccine hesitancy in LMICs.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Political Science, MIT (2020)
• B.A. in Political Science, Stanford University

Research interests include:

• State-building dynamics
• Effects of aid on governance
• Colonial legacies in policymaking
• Democratic accountability mechanisms

Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, J-PAL, and MIT's Governance Lab. Notable awards include the Lucian Pye Award for her dissertation and the 2019 Southeast Asian Politics Best Paper Award. Teaching includes undergraduate courses on identity politics and comparative politics, plus graduate seminars on representation and accountability.