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Harry Blair

After a year as Visiting Fellow at Yale’s South Asian Studies Council in 2020-2021, Harry Blair has now retired from formal academic life to pursue his own research interests.  Previously, he was Senior Research Scholar and served as Associate Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the South Asia Studies program there.   During 2004-2013 he served as Associate Chair of the Political Science Department. Earlier he taught at Bucknell, Colgate, Cornell and Rutgers Universities, and is Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Bucknell.  His research interests presently focus on democratization in developing countries, particularly on civil society, decentralization, and accountability. His articles have appeared in American Political Science Review, Comparative Politics, Economic and Political Weekly, Journal of Development Studies, and World Development among others.  On the applied side, he has had several extended stints at the United States Agency for International Development and has consulted for the Department for International Development (UK), Swedish International Development Authority, United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank.   His email address is <harry.w.blair@gmail.com>.