The Center for Governance and Markets

October 10, 2019

Dear Colleagues,

Today we will be announcing the launch of a research center to examine how political institutions, markets, and technology impact human well-being in the United States and around the world. The Center for Governance and Markets will build upon the existing teaching and research of faculty members Jennifer Murtazashvili, Ilia Murtazashvili and Martin B.H. Weiss.

The center, to be housed in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, will take a global perspective on policy areas including international affairs; economic institutions and property rights; governance; and emerging technologies, such as blockchain and cryptocurrency. The center will be a hub for a global network of researchers and practitioners in the areas of governance and institutional analysis, enabling faculty to bridge the gap between theory and real-world problems through supporting fieldwork, interdisciplinary research and community engagement.

With the support of a $4.2 million grant from the Charles Koch Foundation, the center will support postdoctoral and graduate student fellowships, hands-on field research, conferences, workshops and publications. At launch, center affiliates will include faculty from GSPIA, Pitt’s School of Computing and Information, School of Law and the departments of economics, political science and sociology in the University’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. The center’s director is Jennifer Murtazashvili, associate professor in GSPIA; associate directors are Ilia Murtazashvili, associate professor in GSPIA, and Weiss, professor in the School of Computing and Information.

Beyond supporting research opportunities and working with young scholars, the center will host events to highlight research themes for broader audiences. For example, a policy and political economy workshop will draw together researchers from multiple disciplines and institutions who are interested in conducting cutting-edge research on the diversity and consequences of governance institutions. The center will also host policy dialogues as well as a public speaker series on governance, markets and global affairs.

I look forward to seeing the strong work that Jennifer, Ilia, and Martin will contribute to this new initiative.

Best,

Ann
Ann E. Cudd
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor

Professor of Philosophy