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State-building and Conflict | Political Economy of Development
Non-Resident Scholar at Center for Governance & Markets
Assistant Professor at Hope College
Dr. Kaleb Demerew is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Center for Governance and Markets (University of Pittsburgh) and an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Hope College. His research focuses on state-building, conflict, and the comparative political economy of development. Dr. Demerew's most recent work is Contractualist State-building and Economic Freedom in Africa (Routledge, 2026) and his work has appeared in several academic journals, including The Journal of Institutional Economics, Nations and Nationalism, and Third World Quarterly. He has received research grants from the Institute for Humane Studies, the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa, and the Center for Governance and Markets. He is an alum of the Adam Smith Fellowship and the James Buchanan Fellowship at George Mason University. He served as invited speaker for the Trends Group Horn of Africa Peace and Security Symposium in Abu Dhabi (2022) and the Pittsburgh Global Forum on Overcoming Deep Differences (2025). He received his PhD in Politics and International Affairs from the University of South Florida and his BA in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis.
CV available here.
Research Areas: Elite contention and institutional change; regional rivalry and competition; state-society relations and development governance; Northeast Africa Politics (Nile Basin and Red Sea)
books
books
Contractualist State-building and Economic Freedom in Africa (Routledge, 2026) asks what kinds of state-society arrangements can support economic freedom, and, by extension, durable state-building in Africa. Cases on Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Somaliland help illustrate how the prevalence or absence of economic freedom and self-governance norms may catalyze or hinder state-building. The book shows why stable, organic states in Africa can only emerge through a "facilitator state", a state where institutions work to facilitate and codify free, voluntary transactions among autonomous individuals.
Violence and State-Building (forthcoming with SUNY Press) configures an elite-centered, ethnicity-mediated institutional framework to assess state-building trajectories in precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial contexts in three African states. The book examines how ruling and contending elites deploy violence and the threat of it alongside offers of rents, understood as special access to political or economic goods, and how these interactions shape political order. To illustrate these dynamics, the book uses a comparative case analysis of Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
Nile Basin Politics (Edward Elgar, 2025) is an edited volume that examines how political elites instrumentalize Nile basin rivalries to bolster domestic state-building and nationalist aspirations. The contributing authors illustrate the incentives that make short-term collaboration difficult to achieve for different stakeholders. Challenging conventional assumptions about the possibilities of basin-wide cooperation, the book proposes bilateral and multilateral policy coordination policy coordination as a pragmatic alternative for short-term water diplomacy in the region.
Courses and Student Reviews
Courses and Student Reviews
International Relations
I appreciate the way you structure your class because I have learned SO MUCH […] Thank you for making class so fun!
Dr. Demerew is extremely knowledgeable in the field of International Relations and Comparative Politics. He pushes students to go the extra mile in the pursuit of knowledge and in preparation for future professional ventures.
This course is not an easy A. However, it is not impossible either. It takes discipline, focus, and a willingness to learn to succeed in Demerew's International Relations course, but it is worth the work.
International Conflict
Professor Demerew is incredibly intelligent, clearly loves what he does, and is overall one of the best educators I have had in my schooling history.
He is a GREAT professor. He understands the students and motivates them to participate and feel united. You can ask him 192877 times the topics and he will explained them every time graciously.
I learned a lot in the class and the structure was great to remain active in a 3 hour class.
Comparative Politics
Dr. Demerew is a great prof. Cares a lot about his students but doesn't go too easy on them. He makes the class interesting and engaging.
The course was extremely thorough. There was a lot of content, but Dr. Demerew explained it well.
Prof. Demerew is really intelligent, he knows the subject really well and is able to transmit that knowledge effectively to his students. He is also respectful of students's needs.
Middle Eastern Politics
This course is advanced in relation to many other courses offered at the school, even other upper level political science courses. I appreciated the level of academic depth and rigor of the course.
Provided a deeper understanding of the Middle East. After the class, I now know that the Middle East is more complex and not a stereotype.
What I enjoyed most was learning about how the Middle East came to be as it is today. And a better idea of what should be done differently in the Middle East for success in the future.
American Government
I respect Dr. Demerew so much, especially because of how he kept his political affiliation out of the class. I still have no idea which way he aligns […] Great communicator and very organized.
[Dr.] Demerew is an amazing teacher. He keeps class fun in a number of ways, from his jokes to his knowledge of the subject. [...] I really enjoyed him getting the class involved with simulations and plenty of questions.
[O]nce I realized that I was going to have to fully submit to pay attention to this class it quickly became one of my favorite classes, and it is a core class that has nothing to do with my major. [...] It was challenging, but so fun.
Leadership Theory
This course definitely helped me understand the true meaning of leadership, as well as the differences between leadership and management. As for [Dr.] Demerew- I was fortunate to have him as a professor. I am thankful for all his help, feedback, advice, and words of encouragement.
The professor is a really great and encouraging teacher. He always provided thoughtful and timely feedback on course assignments.
I have sincerely enjoyed this class and I feel as the Professor enjoyed presenting it. Everything was very orderly and professional. The Professor was very supportive.
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