Lisa Mueller

Lisa Mueller’s teaching and scholarly interests include comparative politics, social movements, behavioral and development economics, and research methods. Her 2024 book, The New Science of Social Change: A Modern Handbook for Activists, translates her work on why social movements fail or succeed for a general audience. Her first book, Political Protest in Contemporary Africa (Cambridge University Press 2018) explores how class politics drive African protests. Her other work has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, African Affairs, Electoral Studies, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. She has applied her expertise as a principal investigator and advisor for USAID, the U.S. State Department, the World Bank, and other policy organizations. She has conducted fieldwork in Niger, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Malawi, and Mauritius.

BA: Pomona College

PhD: UCLA