Cambridge University Press

Jason Jackson · Cambridge University Press · 2026

Conventional approaches cite India's leftist "socialism" and Brazil's right-wing authoritarianism to explain why India resisted foreign direct investment (FDI) while Brazil welcomed foreign firms. However, this ignores puzzling industry-level variation: India restricted FDI in auto manufacturing but allowed multinationals in oil, while Brazil welcomed foreign auto companies but prohibited FDI in oil. This book argues that FDI policies were shaped by contrasting colonial experiences that generated distinct economic nationalisms and patterns of industrialization in both countries.

Munther Dahleh · Cambridge University Press · 2025

Harnessing the power of data and artificial intelligence (Al) methods to tackle complex societal challenges requires transdisciplinary collaborations across academia, industry, and government. In this book, Dahleh, founder of the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), offers a blueprint for researchers, professionals, and institutions to create approaches to problems of high societal value using innovative, holistic, data-driven methods.

Fotini Christia · Cambridge University Press · 2024

How can societies reduce crime without exacerbating adversarial relationships between the police and citizens? Through field experiments in a variety of political contexts, this book presents the outcome of a major research initiative into the efficacy of community policing. Scholars uncover whether, and under what conditions, this influential strategy for tackling crime and insecurity is effective. With its highly innovative approach to cumulative learning, this writing represents a new frontier in the study of police reform.

Volha Charnysh · Cambridge University Press · 2024

Each year, millions of people are uprooted from their homes by wars, repression, natural disasters, and climate change. In "Uprooted," Charnysh presents a fresh perspective on the consequences of mass displacement, arguing that accommodating the displaced population can strengthen receiving states and benefit local economies. With rich insights and compelling evidence, the book challenges common assumptions about the costs of forced displacement and cultural diversity and proposes a novel mechanism linking wars to state-building.

Noah L. Nathan · Cambridge University Press · 2023

The formal state often appears absent in the rural periphery in developing countries. Yet these states are not as weak as many believe. In a multi-method study of historical development in Ghana, Nathan rethinks the process of state-building in hinterlands, demonstrating how even seemingly absent states still change the underlying nature of their societies, with implications for better understanding the governance challenges that these regions face.

Lily Tsai · Cambridge University Press · 2021

Why are some authoritarian regimes popular with their citizens, while many democratic regimes are mistrusted or held in contempt? In this book, Tsai provides a theory for understanding when ordinary people are more likely to favor illiberal and authoritarian leaders and provides a unified framework for understanding authoritarian resilience and democratic fragility.