Maty Konte

I am currently a research fellow at the United-Nations University in Maastricht in the Netherlands. I am from Senegal, and I have obtained my PhD degree in economics from the Aix-Marseille School of Economics in France where I was awarded the prize of the best PhD in economics in 2103. I am also a home-based consultant at the World-Bank and I act as vice-president and project manager for the NGO Women and Nature International in New-York.

My research interest addresses different issues on the role of formal and informal institutions, and governance in the process of development both at the macro and micro levels. Some of my selected works have looked at how economics and political institutions and natural resources interfere in the growth process; the determinants of gender differences in political choices and preferences in Africa, and the extent to which social institutions affect women political orientations; the institutional and political effects of international inflows such as remittances; how local inequality and the quality of local governance may determine the quality of services delivery and the much needed legitimacy of democracy in Africa, a region where democracy has had a short history.

A sample of my work has been published in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals such as World Development, Journal of Comparative Economics, Feminist Economics, Applied Economics, but also in non-academic platforms such as The Conversation.

Beyond my academic motivation, I am also involved in the policy activities of the NGO Women and Nature International in New York with the collaboration of other motivated experts. Women and Nature International works for the promotion of rural and urban women while preserving the environment. With a primary focus on field programs in developing and post-conflict regions in Africa, Asia, South and Central America, we empower women to adopt environmentally sustainable practices that increase their earning potential and capacity to provide for their families’ basic needs and education.
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