Abrehet Gebremedhin

PhD Candidate, International Relations Concentration in Development

School of International Service, American University

ag6087a@american.edu

Abrehet Gebremedhin

I am a PhD Candidate in International Relations (Concentration in Development) at the School of International Service at American University. My research focuses on the politics of education, foreign aid, mass mobilization, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

My research agenda focuses on the politics of education in African nondemocratic regimes. With support from the Fulbright Fellowship, I conducted my fieldwork in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. I combine mixed methods, namely statistical analysis of cross-national panel data, historical archives, and elite interviews. My work provides new insights into the causal effects of nondemocratic decision-making on education and public policy more broadly.  

At American University, I am affiliated with the Accountability Research Center at the School of International Service, as well as the Research on International Policy Implementation Lab (RIPIL). As part of my work at the Accountability Research Center, I serve as the co-Principal Investigator of the Accountability for Education project.

I have secured funding for my research from the Global Partnership for Education, Oxfam, the U.S. State Department’s Fulbright Program, and the Housel-Stowell Fellowship, in addition to internal grants from American University.

Prior to beginning my PhD, I spent many years in the international development field, specifically in monitoring and evaluation (M&E). I hold an MA and BA in International Development from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.

You can access my CV here or reach out at ag6087a@american.edu.