Barnaby Joseph Dye

Barnaby joined the University of York as a lecturer in Development Politics in September 2022. Barnaby's research lies at the intersection of two major global trends; firstly, a boom in dams and infrastructure construction and secondly, the rise of states from the Global South and their establishment as major economic-development actors in Africa. He is interested in the political economy processes involved in funding and planning infrastructure and the decision making over who benefits, with a focus on Africa. This involves research on the international level and particularly the companies and governments from economically-rising states in the Global South. Here Barnaby has researched the foreign policy and development corporation of India and Brazil with Africa. Then at the level of national governments in Africa, Barnaby has undertaken substantial fieldwork in Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania focused on understanding the actors, strategies, ideologies and decision making processes within states. Barnaby has then traced international and national policymaking to particular projects and policies, examining the ‘on the ground’ impacts on people’s lives and the environment.

 

Having read geography at the University of Cambridge and completed a Master’s at King’s College, London, Barnaby undertook a doctorate at the University of Oxford. He studied the politics of the resurgence of dams in Africa at the Department of Politics and International Relations. At Oxford Barnaby led the Oxford University China-Africa Forum and Oxford Central Africa Forum. Barnaby then joined the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester as a research associate, earning promotion to research fellow in 2020. He worked with research teams in Ghana, India and Ethiopia to lead a number of research projects under the FutureDAMS Research Consortium.