Elise Pizzi

I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Iowa and affiliated with the Water Sustainability Initiative of the University of Iowa. I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Colorado in 2015. Before attending graduate school, I taught English in Sichuan, China and spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Georgia (2005-2007).

My primary research interest is in development and public goods provision. My dissertation focused on drinking water provision in rural China. I explored both government investment in drinking water provision and local community actions to coordinate water management. I also study ethnic politics in China and have conducted research on the role of ethnic identity in government provision of public goods and political action by ethnic minorities. Other recent work on China explores the diffusion of policy designed to contain COVID-19 and motivations for migration. Outside of China, my research explores the same themes: ethnic politics, migration, public goods provision, and natural resource management, all with an aim to understand the sustainable human development. I have extended these interests and begun work on several projects related to the politics of natural disasters in Iowa and internationally.

For more information on my ongoing research projects and publications, please visit my research page. Please contact me if you are interested in my work.

CONTACT

Email: Elise-Pizzi@UIowa.edu

University of Iowa
Department of Political Science
341 Schaeffer Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242-1409