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Daniel Esser Associate Professor Global Inquiry

Contact
SIS | Global Inquiry
School of International Service 221
Office hours resume in Fall 2025 as Prof. Esser is currently on sabbatical leave. [Once new slots have been posted, sign up online at least one hour in advance (--> "See Also" link #1), then click on "Office hours Zoom link" (--> "See Also" link #2).]
Additional Positions at AU
Faculty Affiliate, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies
Faculty Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Center
Degrees
PhD, Development Studies; MSc, Development Management (Distinction), London School of Economics and Political Science

Bio

Professor Esser's research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals such as World Development, Evaluation, Urban Studies, the Journal of Modern African Studies, the Journal of Social Policy, The Professional Geographer, Environment and Urbanization, Global Public Health, Third World Quarterly, Ethics & International Affairs, Communication Theory, and the Journal of Business Ethics, as well as in two Oxford Handbooks and other edited volumes. He serves as Associate Editor of Oxford Development Studies and is a long-time member and past-Chair (2021-23) of the AAG's Development Geographies Specialty Group (DGSG).

Following a two-year residency at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in 2021-23, Professor Esser has since been holding a continuing appointment as Associate Researcher at IDOS. He has also been a non-resident Fellow at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in 2017-18; Academic Resident at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in 2013; Drugs, Security and Democracy (DSD) Postdoctoral Fellow of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in 2012-13; SPURS Research Fellow at MIT in 2003-04; and Carlo Schmid Fellow at the International Labour Office in 2001-02.

Professor Esser has won external funding from Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the British Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Mellon-MIT Program on NGOs and Forced Migration, the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung), and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

As a consultant, Professor Esser has advised the World Bank, the OECD, USAID, the German federal government, FLACSO, and CARE International on program planning and has led evaluations of multi-million donor portfolios. In 2006-08, he worked full-time as an International Civil Servant with UNESCAP in Bangkok and UNDP in New York.

The 2019 Distinguished Service Awardee of the AAG's Asian Geography Specialty Group and 2015 SIS Scholar-Teacher of the Year, Professor Esser has directed the SIS Olson Scholars program and taught in American University's Honors program for several years.

See Also
[inactive until Fall 2025] Prof. Esser's office hours sign-up sheet
Office hours Zoom link
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

AU Experts

Area of Expertise

Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, legitimacy, political crises, global health, cities, local governance, complex emergencies, post-conflict reconstruction, aid effectiveness, United Nations, development effectiveness

Additional Information

Daniel Esser's research has been published in leading academic journals, edited volumes, and several handbooks. He investigates effectiveness of international development in the context of local, national and global policies and programs, as well as political conflicts rooted in competing claims for legitimacy in fragile states such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Mozambique. His latest research focuses on the political economy of learning in bilateral aid organizations such as USAID, FCDU, and other foreign aid donors. http://danielesser.org

For the Media

To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

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