Congratulations to Elias Papaioannou (Professor of Economics at London Business School and Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute) on his appointment to the position of Fellow of the British Academy for Social Sciences and Humanities.
Professor Papaioannou is an award-winning economist focusing on international finance, political economy, economic history, applied econometrics, growth, and development.
Last year, Elias co-authored the paper ‘Religion and Educational Mobility in Africa’, alongside Alberto Alesina, Sebastian Hohmann, and Stelios Michalopoulos and supported by the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development. Published in Nature – one of the most respected and widely read scientific journals in the world – the paper marks a groundbreaking achievement in the field of economics and social development by unveiling the impact of religion on educational mobility in postcolonial Africa.
He also led the Wheeler Institute lecture series ‘African History Through the Lens of Economics’, which was recently awarded the EEA European Economic Association’s Award for Innovation in Teaching. The lecture series embarked on a comprehensive exploration of Africa’s historical journey, delving into topics such as precolonial political and social structures, the salve trade, the ‘Scramble for Africa’, colonisation and the struggle for independence. The sessions integrated both historical and contemporary datasets, which included geospatial information, archive records, anthropological maps, and social narratives, whilst discussing the way in which researchers across social sciences have leveraged these diverse sources. There were also opportunities to highlight the significance of interdisciplinary research, which involved examining aspects such as the enduring impact of private concessionary companies during colonisation, the influence of Christian missionaries, the complexities of prison labour, colonial tax policies, the ramifications of foreign aid, insights into the psychology of African populations and contemplations on the future trajectory of the continent.
We expected around 200 participants,” Elias said. “We got 27,000. Besides the huge interest, most importantly, the participants were from 160 countries, the majority from Africa, with fresh insights and cool ideas for future research. This award firmly establishes our course as a global leader in fostering innovative, diversified economic thinking. We’re already in the planning stages for the second iteration of the course, harnessing the momentum generated by the first.”
Each year, the British Academy awards Fellowships to outstanding thinkers and leaders from across the humanities and social sciences. Professor Papaioannou joins his esteemed colleague Rajesh Chandy (Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute, Tony and Maureen Wheeler Chair in Entrepreneurship and Professor of Marketing at London Business School), who has been a Fellow of the academy since 2018.
Visit our research portal to find out more about Elias’ work, and the impact that he is having on development and education across the world.