Political Science

Jim Butterfield

Director of Graduate Studies, Professor

3352 Friedmann Hall
(269) 387-5696

Personal Web site

Jim Butterfield received his PhD from the University of Notre Dame in 1989. His research interests focus on the role civil society, including community-based organizations, play in development, especially rural and community development in Africa. He also has interests in democratization and land reform. Twice Visiting Associate at the University of Cape Town's Centre for African Studies, he has been working on a project that examines how development NGOs engage in policy advocacy since 2002. More recent projects examine the role of municipal-community partnerships in providing services and developing livelihoods in South Africa, as well as social mobilization for poverty alleviation in poor communities. Numerous prior research trips to the former Soviet Union (mostly Russia) resulted in publications in Comparative Politics, The Journal of Peasant Studies, Comparative Economic Studies and Nationalities Papers, in addition to a co-edited volume (with Judith Sedaitis) on social movements in the former Soviet Union. Dr. Butterfield has also served as consultant to numerous projects on decollectivization, rural development, land reform and local government reform in Russia and Uzbekistan. Dr. Butterfield's teaching interests include courses on Russian and Central Asian politics, poverty, democratization and institutional design, and other themes in comparative politics.

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