Shelby Carvalho is a PhD candidate and Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University studying comparative politics and political economy.
Carvalho’s dissertation examines the factors that shape host country policies related to refugee inclusion in Africa. Focusing on the case of inclusion in national education systems, she explores the ways that features of political environments – including actors, demand, and incentives – shape long-term opportunities available to refugees. Her work speaks to the broader question of when and how governments are incentivized to pursue and implement public policies that prioritize equity for vulnerable populations and explores what the consequences can be when they’re not incentivized to do so.
Carvalho holds master’s degrees in Public Policy from UT Austin and in Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work is informed by more than a decade of experience as a K-12 teacher and as a policy professional with the World Bank, UNHCR, the UN Education Commission, and the Center for Global Development.
Research Interests: Political economy; education; refugees and forced displacement; Africa