Rebecca Tapscott

Rebecca Tapscott is a Research Fellow at the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. She also holds visiting fellowships at the University of Edinburgh's Politics and International Relations Department and the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa at the London School of Economics. Her research focuses on political violence, security governance, and non-democratic regimes, with a particular emphasis on gender dynamics (especially masculinities), citizenship, international development, and research ethics governance. She teaches in the Power, Conflict, and Development Track at IHEID.

Research Trends: Her recent publications explore themes such as militarized masculinity, institutional arbitrariness in authoritarian regimes, security assemblages, and the intersection of gender and conflict in African studies. Her work often examines social control mechanisms and local security dynamics in post-conflict regions like northern Uganda.

Scientific Awards:

• Alfred Rubin Prize from the Fletcher School
• International Studies Association’s Carl Beck award

Education:

• PhD from the Fletcher School at Tufts University

Current Projects: Her Ambizione project investigates the transnational diffusion of ethics research regulations and their political consequences in non-democratic contexts.